Bad Feelings, Good Feelings
by TraceyVamp1211
Summary: This is an AU where Sookie can tell that Bill is bad right from the beginning and she goes to the local vampire sheriff for help.  Can he help her or get her into even more trouble?
1. Chapter 1

i must be crazy. i just can't stop myself from publishing another story. this idea just came into my head and it won't leave. this is a totally different sookie and bill, but more than likely the same old viking, not quite sure yet. let me know what you think.

disclaimer: i own nothing, i just like to test drive these characteres

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><p>It was a typical Saturday night at Merlotte's. I, Sookie Stackhouse, resident telepath was running around, fetching pitchers of beer, burgers and trying to keep the thoughts of others out of my mind. I was having trouble keeping my shields up tonight. I don't know why, but it seemed like everybody in the bar had turned into a loud broadcaster tonight.<p>

Luckily the dinner rush seemed to go by fairly quickly and when it started to slow down a bit I was finally able to catch my breath and lock my shields into place. I had stopped at the bar for a Coke before I was needed again when I saw a stranger walk into the bar. I looked him over and I could see that he had a glow to his pale skin and I could tell right away that he was a vampire, Merlotte's first.

Sam Merlotte, my boss and owner of the bar was standing next to me watching the stranger even closer than I was. I went to say something to Sam about the vampire, when he brushed his hand against my arm and I got a clear line to his thoughts for once. _What is this fanger doing in here? Why couldn't he stay up in Shreveport at Fangtasia where the vampire sheriff can deal with him. He's probably going to scare all my customers away_. I pulled away quickly before I heard something that I didn't want to hear.

I wanted to ask Sam what exactly a vampire sheriff was and what Fangtasia was, but he walked away before I could. The Vampire was in my section so I knew that I would have to wait on him. I pulled on my big girl panties and walked over to his table.

The closer I got to his table I was overwhelmed with this feeling of unease deep inside of me. I had never felt anything like this before, but I knew that it wasn't good at all.

I stepped up to his table and put on my Crazy Sookie fake smile. "Hey there, welcome to Merlotte's. What can I get for you this evening?"

"Do you have any of that synthetic bottled blood?"

"We did, but they expired. We are suppose to be getting more in on the next delivery."

"I'll have a glass of red wine then."

"Coming right up." I quickly went back over to the bar and that uneasy feeling dissipated the more distance there was between me and the vampire, but it didn't completely go away. Was it this specific vampire that was making me feel like this or was it vampires in general that gave me this uneasy feeling? I'd never met another vampire before, so I had no way of knowing.

I was behind the bar pouring his glass of wine when I decided to try to listen in on his thoughts. I usually didn't listen in like that with strangers, but with this bad feeling I was getting from him curiosity was getting the better of me.

I let my shields down and focused on only him, but I was met with nothing were his thoughts should have been. It was like a void there instead of any thoughts. It was very quiet and soothing. If it wasn't for that feeling I would want to get lost in that feeling, but it got worse the longer I was connected to his void, so I quickly threw up my shields as tight as I could.

I quickly brought him his wine, then went about checking the few other tables I had that were occupied. I couldn't stop myself from keeping an eye on the vampire. I couldn't shake this bad feeling inside and it didn't even really bother me when the Rattrays sat down with the vampire. I knew that the Rattray's were trouble, but I had a feeling this vampire was trouble too. Let them have each other for all I cared.

I kept my shields up as tight as possible. If he wanted to hang around with those white trash hicks I wasn't in the mood to stop him.

I went through the rest of my night like normal. I forgot about the vampire pushing away my bad feeling and I didn't even notice when he left or if he left with the Rattrays, but I was glad that he was gone. The uneasy feeling was completely gone and I could relax.

I finished up my nightly closing routine, then I grabbed my purse out of Sam's desk and made my way out the back employee door. I was making sure that the door had closed behind me when I heard yelling off in the distance. I crouched down near the dumpster and peered around to see what was happening.

I saw the vampire from earlier and he was beating and screaming at the Rattrays. Now you can call me a bad Christian, but there was no way that I was getting anywhere near that, but I couldn't pull myself away from seeing what was going to happen. I stayed quiet and still and just listened. "You stupid humans! You were suppose to be thinking about what you were planning to do to me. All you had to think about was your intentions to drain me and she would have come running to safe me! You two have totally fucked up my plans!"

Oh my God! He had come here to get me! I took a couple of deep to calm my racing heart and to not attract attention to myself. I should have run away with the little bit of information I'd already discovered, but I wanted to know more and I had a feeling that this vampire wasn't through running his mouth off. "I can't believe how utterly fucked this assignment already is. How hard is going to be to get one little telepathic bitch down to the queen in New Orleans? Why did it have to be me? I was perfectly happy down in New Orleans. I should just abduct her from her house. Living next door wouldn't make that too difficult. I can't deal with this now, I need to find a meal after I deal with the two of you." He leaned down and caught the eye of both the Rattrays. "You both will remember nothing of what happened tonight. You were both involved in a bar fight and you will go home and sleep it off. You don't know anyone named Bill Compton, you didn't meet a vampire tonight and you will have no interest in vampires ever again. Now go." The Rats took off to their car while the vampire I now knew as Bill Compton ran off at vampire speed.

I dropped my shields to make sure that it was all clear. There were no minds or voids around, so I made a mad dash to my car. I quickly got in and locked the doors behind me. I knew that a locked door probably wouldn't keep a vampire out, but it made me feel better.

I sat there taking a few deep breaths to calm myself down. I couldn't believe all that I had learned tonight. I'd seen my first vampire that I wasn't entirely impressed with, I learned the vamps in this area had a sheriff and in New Orleans there was a vampire queen who wanted me abducted. I knew it was because of my telepathy, but how did she find out about it? I most certainly did not want to go there and I definitely didn't want to go there against my will.

Will my mind racing I made my way home thinking about my new neighbor that wanted to abduct me. It didn't take long for me to get to my house. I pulled around to the back and parked the car as close to the porch as I possibly could. I made sure I had my house key in my hand ready to go into the lock. I wish that I had a weapon of some kind, but I would just have to pray that Bill was nearby.

I jumped out of my car and ran as fast as I could to the back porch. I unlocked the door with shaking hands and I went inside, slamming and locking the door behind me. I leaned against it for a moment letting the safe feeling of being home wash over me.

I kicked off my shoes, grabbed a can of Coke and a banana and went to my room. I sat down on my bed and quickly ate my snack, then changed into my nightshirt. I slid into my bed and started thinking over my predicament. I was in a heap of danger and I knew that this was not something that I could deal with on my own. There was also no one here in Bon Temps that could help me either.

I thought back to the thoughts I'd gotten from Sam earlier about the vampire sheriff and a place called Fangtasia. I didn't know if the rules were different for vampires, but maybe he would be able to help me somehow or at least give me some direction to where I could find help.

I went back out into the kitchen and grabbed the phone book. I went back into my room and curled back up in bed. I looked up Fangtasia's address and wrote it down. I knew about where it was in Shreveport and shouldn't have too much trouble finding it. I may have trouble once I got there, but I just knew that I had to go there. I needed help and I hoped that this sheriff was the one who could offer me some.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N You guys are fan-fucking-tastic! I have had over 100 reviews and alerts in less than a day and most of them have been for this story. This just makes me giddy and that is why i am posting this next chapter so quick. Maybe there might be another one before the end of the day. (Just to let you know, the Viking makes his appearance in the next chapter) Let me know what you think.

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><p>I tossed and turned for awhile that night before I was able to fall asleep, but it didn't last lone. I was soon plagued with nightmares of Bill Compton abducting me and take me to New Orleans and nobody tried to stop him. I kept replaying it over and over until the sun came up over the horizon and I was finally able to fall into a deep and dreamless sleep.<p>

I don't know how long I had been asleep for, but I was awakened by the sound of Gran knocking on my door. "Sookie, are you awake? It's after eleven and I was wondering if you were hungry."

I couldn't believe that I had slept so late, but at least I had the next two days off so I didn't have anywhere that I needed to be. "I'm awake Gran. I'm just going to take a shower and I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Okay dear."

I got out of bed, grabbed a t-shirt, shorts, bra and panties and went down the hall to the bathroom. I took a quick shower, dressed, combed out my hair before pulling it up into a messy ponytail, then I went out to see what Gran had cooked up.

I walked into the kitchen and was met with the smell of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans and biscuits and gravy. I sat down at the table and Gran set a heaping plate of the most delicious food down in front of me. I didn't realize how hungry I really was until I took my first bite. My Gran is the best cook ever. She and I ate in silence and we finished quickly.

After we were finished I went about washing the dishes and was thinking about what I had to do today. I really only had to go to the library and that wouldn't take too long. I needed more to do to keep myself occupied so that I wouldn't think too much about what I was going to do that night. I really wished that I had somebody to talk to about what was happening, but I wasn't about to go to my brother Jason with this and I definitely wasn't about to say anything to Gran. The less that she knew that safer she was going to be. "Hey Gran, I'm going out in a bit. Do you need me to pick up anything for you?"

"I do need a few things at the market. Are you sure you don't mind picking them up for me?"

"Of course not Gran. Just leave me a list of what you need and I'll get whatever you need." I finished the dishes, then grabbed Gran's list. She had added some yarn and a new set of knitting needles, so this gave me a good reason to make the trip out to the Super Wal-Mart. I grabbed my purse, keys and library books, slipped on a pair of sandals and was off.

It didn't take me long to get to the library and took some extra time picking out some new selections. There was a group of preschoolers that were there for story time and it was relaxing to me. Letting their innocent thoughts wash over me was like a soothing balm to me. There biggest problems were which juice box to drink and which cartoon to watch after school. I wished that everyone had thoughts like this, but that wasn't how the world worked. I checked out three new romance novel before I made my way to Wal-Mart.

It was a bit of a trek to get there, but I cranked up my radio to country and it was a nice distraction.

When I got there I went inside and decided to browse as well as picking up what Gran needed. I picked up a couple of CDS that were on sale, a couple of bargain DVDs, I found a couple of really cute tops for two dollars a piece, a sundress for three dollars, and a red pair of heels for five dollars. All this really brightened my day as I picked up Gran's things and made my way up to the checkout.

By the time I had checked out and loaded everything into my car it was almost five o'clock. Luckily the days were longer, so I still had a couple of hours before it got dark. I wanted to be on my way to Fangtasia before it was fully dark out. I wasn't about to take any chances on Mr. Compton snatching me up before I had the chance to talk to the sheriff.

I got home a little after six and Gran was fixing macaroni and cheese for dinner. That was one of my favorites, but I didn't know if I was going to be able to eat much if at all. I was really starting to get worried about what I was going to be dealing with tonight. I had no idea what this sheriff would expect from me if he helped me or if he would even help me at all. There was the possibility that I would have to use my telepathy as a bargaining chip with him, but I would worry about that when the time came.

I quickly put away Gran's groceries and took my things back to my room and when I came back out Gran had the table set and ready for us to eat. I was only nibbling at my food, but I managed to eat my whole plateful as I told Gran that I was going out tonight. I told her that I was going to a club in Shreveport. It wasn't a complete fib, but I wasn't about to tell her that it was a vampire bar.

I was worried that she wouldn't want me to go since this was not something that I would normally do, but she was happy to see me go out. She wanted to see me go out more. I wished that I could tell her the truth about where I was going, but it was too dangerous.

I was glad that Gran didn't ask too many questions about where I was going and I hoped that she wouldn't question me on what I was about to ask her. "Gran, if I asked you to so something for me would you do it without asking me any questions?"

"It depends on what it is Dear."

"I don't want you to open the door for anybody that you don't know while I'm gone. Can you do that for me?" I had caught some thoughts about vampires from some woman's mind while I was out shopping today and it had been very helpful. Apparently a vampire couldn't come into a home unless they were invited, they were able to hypnotize people to get them to do what they wanted and that silver burned there skin. It was almost like this woman was a vampire encyclopedia and I was glad for it.

"I guess I can do that. Is there something wrong Sookie? You seem awfully nervous tonight."

"I'm fine Gran, I'm just excited to be going out. I need to go get ready." I hated keeping things from Gran, but it couldn't be helped.

I went into my room and looked through my closet for something to wear tonight. I figured since I was probably going to have to pimp out my telepathy to get me out of this mess, I might as well have my other assets displayed in a pretty package as well.

I looked through everything until I found a white dress with red flowers on it that would go perfectly with my new red shoes. I'm not going to lie, my new shoes were definitely "fuck me" shoes and I didn't mind.

That was something else that I had to think about. The woman from earlier was thinking that vampires were very sexual creatures. Would I voluntarily give up my virginity to some strange vampire who could possibly kill me? That was definitely not going to be offered unless I had no other choice. I may be in trouble, but I was still a lady.

I laid my dress on my bed along with a white bra and panties set, then I went into the bathroom. I took a quick shower making sure that I didn't get my hair wet and just washing away the grime off the day and I also shaved my self smooth. I definitely needed to look my best all over tonight.

When I was done I got out, dried off and went back into my bedroom. I brushed my hair out straight adding a red headband to keep it out of my face, slipped on my bra and panties, slid my dress on over my head and finished the outfit with my new heels. I put on a little mascara and lip gloss to complete my look.

I found a red handbag in my closet that went with my outfit. I slipped my wallet, lip gloss, and mascara inside and kept my keys in my hand.

I made my way out into the kitchen and I could see that it was getting dark outside. I didn't feel safe outside without some kind of protection, so I grabbed a knife from Gran's good silver set. I hoped that I wouldn't need it, but I felt better having it with me. I wrapped it up in a handkerchief and slipped it into my purse.

I went into the living room and said goodnight to Gran. I promised her that I wouldn't stay out too late, and that I would be on my way now.

I went out through the kitchen to the back door and I stopped before I opened it. I clutched my keys and put my other hand on the silver knife in my purse. I dropped my shields and listened as far out as I could. There was nothing out there so I ran out to my car as fast as I could without tripping and hurting myself.

I got in and locked the door behind me. I sat there taking a couple of deep breathes and my eyes wandered over to the Compton house. It looked deserted, but I wasn't about to take any chances. I started my car and made my way to Fangtasia.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N I am still so completely blown away by the response to this story. I can't seem to get enough so keep letting me know what you think. I've only just started the next chapter so it might be awhile, plus i need to show some love to my other stories, but i'll up date as soon as i can. Enjoy!

It took me almost an hour to get to Fangtasia. I parked in the lot and as I picked up my purse I realized that it wouldn't be a smart idea to bring my make shift weapon inside with me. I wouldn't want the sheriff to think that I was threatening in any way. I slipped it out of my purse and slid it under my seat, then I made my way inside.

There was a very long line of people in black attire that barely covered their bodies. I put my shields up at tight as I possibly could. I didn't know what they were thinking, but I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't like it.

I was making my way to the back of the line when a young woman blocked my path. She was wearing a tight, black corset and a short, black, leather skirt with fishnet stockings and knee high, black, leather boots. She was gorgeous and I could tell right away that she was a vampire. She had a glow to her skin like Mr. Compton had, but I didn't get that uneasy feeling being near this vampire. She just was like anyone else to me except that she was a vampire. Apparently it was only Mr. Compton that made me feel that uneasiness. That made sense since he wanted to abduct me.

This vampire was looking at me like I was a tasty morsel and I still didn't feel uneasy around her. "Well, well, well, what is a pretty little thing like you doing at a place like this?"

That sounded like a bad pick up line, but I realized that it was a legitimate question. I hesitated for a moment before I realized that she probably worked her and at the very least since she was a vampire she would know who the sheriff was. "I'm having some trouble with a vampire who lives next door to me and I heard that this is where the vampire sheriff is. I was hoping that he could help me."

She had a smirk on her face and seemed more amused than anything about why I was here. "And who are you and who might this troublesome vampire be?"

"My name is Sookie Stackhouse and the vampire's name is Bill Compton."

Her eyes actually lit up when I said his name. "Oh my dear, come with me and I'll see if the Sheriff is available." She took my arm and escorted me inside. Maybe this would work out okay after all.

We went through the front door and I realized that I didn't know her name. "Ma'am, what is your name?"

"I am Pam."

"It's nice to meet you Pam." She gave me a fangy smile and I couldn't help but smile back at her.

Pam dropped me off at the bar informing the bartender whose name was Long Shadow and who was also a vampire, that he was to fix me anything that I desired to drink and it would be on the house. I ordered a Gin and Tonic as I watched Pam disappear into the crowd.

When I had my drink I glanced around the room looking to see where Pam and gone. I saw that she was up on a stage that had an actual throne on it. I would have laughed at that, but I noticed who was sitting on that throne and I almost choked on my drink. He was the most breathtakingly handsome man, vampire, and there was an air of power around him that just commanded attention. I looked him up and down and I wasn't hating what I was seeing. He was wearing the tightest leather pants I had ever seen, black boots and a black leather vest. That was it. There was a sprinkling of light golden hair on his bare chest and I wondered what it would feel like to touch. I shook myself out of my musings. I could see Pam whispering in his ear and I really hoped that this was the sheriff.

I watched as that gorgeous vampire scanned his room from his throne until his eyes met mine. Even from across the room I could see that his eyes were the most beautiful shade of cerulean blue that I had ever seen. I felt like I wanted to get lost in those beautiful eyes. There was a feeling growing inside of me as I looked at this vampire and it was the opposite feeling of when I'd met Mr. Compton. He smiled at me just as Pam zipped back to my side. I couldn't stop myself from smiling back. "You are in luck Miss Stackhouse, the Sheriff is willing to see you."

She took my arm again and led me up on the stage. That good feeling inside me kept growing the closer I got to him. Pam let go of my arm and went to stand behind the sheriff. I stood there with the smile still on my face and for once it was a genuine smile and not my fake Crazy Sookie smile. "Hello. I am sorry to bother you, but I am in need of some assistance and I was hoping that you could help or at least offer me some other solution."

"We shall see Miss Stackhouse. Why don't you have a seat and tell me what the problem is that you have with Mr. Compton." His voice was like velvet and I just wanted to stand there and listen to him talk for the night (preferably something dirty, which was very unlike me), but I needed help.

"It might be better if we were to have this conversation someplace more private."

He looked at me with curiosity and amusement on his face and I thought that he was going to refuse my request until he stood up. I had to look up and up and up to keep my eyes on his face and not on all the lickable parts of his body. Wait a minute, where did that thought come from? I pushed that thought aside when he held out his hand for me to take. "Let's go to my office then Miss Stackhouse and you can tell me everything."

I put my hand in his and I felt sparks where we touched. I watched him look down surprised at our joined hands. I knew that he felt the sparks two, but he ignored it and led me back to his office.

I was trailing behind him as he walked and I didn't mind. He had the finest ass that I had ever seen in those leather pants and I had to hold myself back from climbing him like a monkey in a mango tree. I wanted to grab that ass and lots of other parts of him too. Oh my Lord, what is wrong with me? Twenty-six years as a virgin, I meet one hot vampire and I turn into a wanton slut. Yet somehow it didn't bother me as much as it should have.

He led me into his office and sat me down on his leather sofa while he sat down at his desk. I was disappointed that he didn't sit down next to me, but even from across the room I could still admire the view.

He put his feet up on his desk making himself comfortable before he returned his attention back to me. "What seems to be the problem Miss Stackhouse?"

"Well Mr.…um, I'm sorry I don't know your name."

"I apologize for being rude Miss Stackhouse. My name is Eric Northman."

Well at least now I had a name to go with the face that I would be fantasizing about frequently. I went through and explained everything to him that had happened the previous night and everything that I had heard from Mr. Compton. He didn't seem to be interested, but I could tell that he was absorbing everything that I was saying. "So is there anything that you can do to help me Mr. Northman? I don't want to be a slave to your queen."

He sat up, removing his feet from his desk and looked over at me with a smirk that what sexy as all get out on his face. "You are asking me to go against a direct order from my queen."

"Yes I am."

"What would I get out of this in return?"

I knew this was were I had to pull out my ace in the hole. "Well Mr. Northman, I am a telepath. I can hear peoples thoughts." I watched him stiffen in his chair and I felt the need to remedy that quickly. "I can't hear vampires thoughts. Vampires seem to be a void to me where you're thoughts are suppose to be." I watched him instantly relax at my words. "If you can help me I will help you. I will use my telepathy to help you in any way that I can. It will be a small price to pay to not be taken."

I watched him as he stood up and went around to lean against the front of his desk. He looked so sexy standing there and I was fighting with myself to stay seated and not go over to run my hands and other parts of my body all over his. "What would be a high price that you would be willing to pay?"

"I don't know what you mean Mr. Northman."

"To put it simply Miss Stackhouse, if I were to protect you I want you to know that I don't share what is mine."

That sounded scary and hot all at the same time. I wouldn't mind being possessed by him, but I needed to know exactly what he meant. "What exactly are you going to want from me Mr. Northman?"

He came over, sat down beside me and took my hand in his. Normally touching somebody would amplify their thoughts in my mind, but his touch just amplified that good feeling inside of me. It also caused some warm and pleasant feelings low in my belly and if I had a spare pair of panties I could have put them to good use as well right about now. "You fascinate me Miss Stackhouse. You were brave enough to come into a building full of vampires and ask for help. You are courageous and beautiful and those are rare qualities to have together in a breather. Put them together with your telepathy makes you extremely valuable.

"If I were to protect you I would want you to take some of my blood."

"I don't want to be a vampire." I said that without thinking first. As I looked at this gorgeous creature in front of me it might not be so bad to be a monster to be with him. Something was definitely wrong with my brain around this man.

His face lit up at my words. "You wouldn't become a vampire little one. I would have to drain you almost completely, them feed you a good amount of my blood before you would become vampire and I would never do that without permission. I am simply talking about a few drops. I would be able to find you if someone were to take you."

"I guess that I can except that. What else would you want from me?"

"Since you offered your telepathy I would want you to come and work for me her at Fangtasia."

"I guess I could come work as a waitress and listen in to you patrons at the same time."

"You don't have to be a waitress. You could just hang around the bar and listen in."

"If I decide to agree to this I need to work. I can't just laze about. What else?"

"You would need to move here to Shreveport."

"What? Why?"

"Even at top speed Bon Temps is twenty minutes away from here. If I am to protect you it would be better if I could get to you within a few minutes if something were to happen."

The thought of being closer to him was appealing, but I couldn't just abandon my Gran. She needed me. "I have my Gran to take care of. I can't just up and leave her."

"She could come with you."

"She is too old and set in the ways to up and leave her home that has been in our family for over a hundred and forty years."

"What if I had someone that could care for her in your absence?"

"I don't know." I paused and looked down and our hands that were still joined together. "I know that I came to you Mr. Northman, but I need some time to think and talk things over with my Gran."

"Of course Miss Stackhouse, but I will need you definite answer by tomorrow night. I would give you more time, but the queen is very impatient when she wants something. I will send somebody to watch over your house for the night."

"Alright. Thank you Mr. Northman. You have been a great help to me already."

He brought the hand that he was still holding to his lips and kissed it. I wished that it was more than just my hand that he was kissing, but even that simple touch made me want to melt. "It's my pleasure Miss Stackhouse. I hope that we can come to a mutually beneficial relationship." He helped me to my feet and we were so close that if I wanted to I could have leaned forward just and inch and my lips would be touching that amazing chest, but that didn't feel like it would be close enough.

"I'm sure that we will." He kept holding my hand and rested his other hand on the small of my back as he led me out of his office and out the back door and to my car.

He held open my door as I slid in the drivers seat. "Would it be all right for you to come back her tomorrow night around ten o'clock to give me your final answer."

"That would be fine."

"Well, then I hope you have a pleasant evening Miss Stackhouse." He reached into his pocket and handed me a business card. "Here is my card. Call me anytime if you need anything before tomorrow night. My day man's number is on the back if you have trouble during the day, but you should be fine."

"Thank you."

"Goodnight Miss Stackhouse."

"Goodnight to you as well Mr. Northman." I started my car and headed back to Bon Temps. I felt better about my situation, but was a really ready to up and leave my home even if it would bring me closer to that walking, talking sex god? That was definitely the million dollar question.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N And here is another chapter. There is a little bit of lemon zest is this chapter that i hope you all enjoy. I know it might seem fast, but this is a whole different Sookie and a normal oppurtunistic Eric. Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think because i love it:)

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><p>The house was dark and quiet when I drove up the driveway a little after eleven. I opened my mind up to check for anybody close by. I sensed one void in the woods and I started to panic until I realized that might be my protection for the night. I wasn't about to take any chances though.<p>

I pulled my makeshift weapon out from under the seat. I gripped it tight in one hand and my keys in the other. I got out of the car and raced up to the back door. I fumbled with my keys, but was able to get the door open. I had barely had it open when I heard a voice behind me. "Hello Sookie."

I calmed down when I recognized the voice and turned around and found Pam standing there. "Hey Pam."

She zipped up onto the porch beside me and I could see her looking and smelling my weapon. "Silver. You are pretty smart for a breather."

"Um, thanks Pam. How long have you been here?"

"Not long. I went sniffing around your house and I smelled Compton all around." I could feel the blood drain from my face. "It wasn't from tonight, but it was recent."

I could feel any fear that I'd had before turn to anger building inside of me. I wanted to storm across the cemetery and stick this silver knife right through Bill Compton's eye. "Has he been anywhere close to the house tonight?"

"It doesn't seem so, but it is still early for a vampire. I will be out here until almost dawn. No harm will come to you tonight."

"Thank you Pam." She bowed her head slightly, then disappeared into the darkness.

I went inside, closing and locking the door behind me, then made my way into my room. I changed out of my dress and into one of Jason's old t-shirts. I went to the bathroom, washed my face and brushed my teeth, then went back to my room and curled up in my bed.

I had an entirely different reason for not being able to sleep tonight. I kept going over Eric Northman's offer in my mind. Would it really be so bad to move to Shreveport especially if it meant being closer to him? And working at Fangtasia wouldn't be much different from working at Merlotte's, except there would be better eye candy. I'm not saying that Sam is a dog or anything in the looks department, but he was no Eric Northman. And it wasn't like I was moving to another state, just another city. I was only like a forty-five minute drive away and I could come back and visit whenever I wanted and with Eric finding somebody to watch out for Gran I would have one less thing to worry about.

But was I ready to give up my life here in Bon Temps to a vampire no matter how hot he was? I wouldn't be his slave, but I would still be indebted to him for who knows how long. And I had a feeling that no matter what I really decided Eric Northman would not be taking no for an answer. But did I really want to tell him no to anything he might offer?

I couldn't take laying in bed any longer. I needed to make a rational decision and to do that I needed to make a list of the pros and cons of accepting his offer. I grabbed a notebook from my nightstand and a pen and I went out into the kitchen.

I sat down at the table, opened my notebook to a blank page and drew a line down the middle and wrote pros and cons at the top. Pro: I wouldn't have to go to New Orleans against my will and work for the queen. Con: I would still have to move away from my home and work for a vampire. Pro: I'd finally be getting out on my own. Con: I would be leaving Gran behind. Pro: the wonderful peace that the vampires offered with their voids. Con: can I really trust these vampires?

That last con made me pause in my thinking. I didn't know Eric or Pam hardly at all, but did I trust them? The answer was very simple: yes I did trust them. I had no reason to, but I did. Pam was here at my house looking out for me when she didn't need to, then with Eric, I just got that good feeling from him. Unless he gave me a reason not to, I was going to trust him.

As I was thinking about things, I realized that I had a lot of questions that I needed answered so that I could make my decision. I needed and wanted to talk to Eric again. I went into my room and got his card from my purse and went back into the kitchen grabbing the cordless phone on my way.

I sat back down and flipped to another piece of paper and started writing out my questions. I left room for me to write down my answers and read them over twice to make sure that I had everything that I wanted to ask. When I was sure I dialed Eric's cell phone. "Northman."

"Um hello Mr. Northman. This is Sookie Stackhouse calling."

"Well, Miss Stackhouse, to what to I owe the pleasure of this phone call?"

"I had some questions that I need answered before I can make my decision." I realized as I was speaking how rude I was being. "I'm sorry, I'm not interrupting anything important an I?"

"No, I am at you disposal. Please, ask away."

"Well, first of all, where would I be living? Would I have an apartment, or would some other arrangement be made?"

"How would feel about living with me? I would most certainly be able to keep you safe in that arrangement."

My panties were soaked just from the sound of his voice. I wanted to scream "YES I'LL LIVE WITH YOU AS LONG AS YOU FUCK ME INTO OBLIVION!" Since I try not to cuss that was definitely not like me. I needed to try to control myself. "Um, as tempting as that may be, I don't think that would be a good idea."

"Am I tempting to you Miss Stackhouse?"

Oh Shit! Open mouth, insert foot moment. "Um, oh, I didn't mean…"

"Because you are tempting to me as well."

I didn't know what to say to that. Did he really mean what he just said? I don't think that he would have say that if he didn't mean it. "Well. I guess that my telepathy would be tempting to anyone."

"I'm not talking about your telepathy, I'm talking about you."

"Are you trying to seduce me Mr. Northman?"

"Is it working Miss Stackhouse?"

My brain was screaming YES!, but I managed to control my mouth. "I think that it would be better to keep things strictly professional between us Mr. Northman." By professional my mind meant Eric in a three piece suit in his office with me as his secretary and bent over his desk with my skirt around my waist and him pounding me from behind. Oh my God! Where did that come from. I quickly pushed that thought from my head no matter how much I really didn't want to.

"Of course Miss Stackhouse, but you will yield to me eventually."

I didn't quite know what that meant, but I didn't hate it. "Maybe I should get back to asking my questions."

"Of course, please continue."

"Um, I know that you will be protecting me, but will I still be paid as a waitress? I would definitely want to waitress if I do decide to accept your offer. Keeping busy helps me focus better."

"Of course. I pay my employees very well, plus you keep any tips you receive and we also have a very good health insurance plan." Wow! That was something that I'd never had before. I didn't get sick very often, but it never hurts to be prepared.

Now the next question on my list was one that I was a bit afraid of asking, but I had to know the answer no matter what. "Will I be expected to let vampires in the bar bite me?"

"There is no biting allowed in my bar. After work is a different story, but since you have at least one vampire after you, I would recommend that you not let anyone bite you, except me of course."

The thought of him biting me sent a shiver through me and not a bad one, but I was still curious about the biting. "Does it hurt when you bite someone?"

"That depends on the vampire. If they are particularly cruel, they can make their bite very painful, but I personally am not like that at all."

"How do you bite Mr. Northman?"

"Oh I am the complete opposite Miss Stackhouse. My bites are extremely pleasant, both for myself and the one who I am biting." His voice went very deep as he spoke and I was becoming extremely aroused. I couldn't stop myself from slipping my hand under my shirt, but kept it out of my panties. "I also take great pleasure in relaxing my donors. I will gently rub my hand up and down their arms and neck, then follow with my lips on their neck. I will kiss the spot that I am going to bite over and over." I couldn't stop the moan that escaped my lips or my hand from finally slipping into my panties. I was incredibly wet and getting even wetter as he continued to speak. "As my lips are on their neck I will slide my hands under their shirt and gently stroke and fondle their breasts." Oh God I wished I had a third hand at that moment. I also wished that I was in Eric's office with him or that he was here with me so much. I wanted his lips and his hands on me more than anything.

"Oh God Eric, what else would you do?" I was stroking my wet slit and I could feel a warm tingling sensation building in my lower belly and I wanted more of Eric's words.

"Are you touching yourself Sookie?"

I loved the sound of his name on my lips and in that moment I lost the last bit of sanity that I still had. "Yes I am. Please keep talking to me Eric. Just the sound of your voice does things to me that I have never felt before. Please keep talking to me. What would you do next?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone. I was about to ask if he was still there when he started speaking again. "I would really want to make my donor feel good before I would bite. I would slide my hand up her legs to between her thighs. I'll slide her panties aside if she's wearing any at all and I will usually find her dripping wet. Are you dripping wet Sookie?"

"Oh yes!" I had no control over my mouth or hell over my whole body at this point.

"I would then run my fingers up and down her wet slit, then rub against her throbbing clit. I would rub and stroke her until she's at the point of orgasm, then I would sink my fangs into her soft flesh sending her over the edge to her orgasmic bliss."

"Oh fuck Eric!" I moaned loud and long as I experienced my own orgasm. I had touched myself before, but it had never been anything like this. My fingers and panties were soaked and my entire body was trembling.

"Did you just have an orgasm Sookie?"

"Oh yes, the best that I have ever had."

"Well, that is definitely the first time that I have ever given a woman the best orgasm she has ever had without even being in the room. Imagine what it would be like if we were in the same room together."

I did let those thoughts flow into my mind as well as my sanity flowing back into me. Oh my God! What the hell did I just do? I quickly pulled my hand out of my panties and ran over to the sink and washed my hands. I could feel the heat rushing to my face and I knew that I had to say something. "Mr. Northman, I am so sorry. I don't know what got into me."

"You have nothing to apologize for and I wouldn't mind being inside of you whenever you want."

I was starting to get hot all over again at his words. I needed to end this conversation quickly no matter how many questions I still had before I did something I would regret. "It's very late Mr. Northman and I need to get to bed."

"Would you like me to come and join you Miss Stackhouse?"

I wanted to say yes and I just barely stopped myself. "Goodnight Mr. Northman." I hung up the phone with out waiting for his response. I knew that it was rude to hang up on him, but I was afraid I would beg him to come here and join me in my bed. I don't know what was wrong with me when it came to Eric Northman. I couldn't seem to control myself. I had to push those thoughts out of my mind.

I grabbed my notebook, put the phone back on the charger and went back to my room. I put my notebook full of unanswered questions on my nightstand and I got a pair of panties out of my dresser, then went into the bathroom to clean up.

I slid off my soaked panties and tossed them into the hamper. I grabbed a washcloth and wet it with warm water. I wiped awake the wetness between my legs and discovered that I was still sensitive after my amazing orgasm. My mind brought forth images of Eric and I could feel myself becoming aroused again. I quickly pushed those thoughts away, cleaned myself up and slid on my clean panties.

I went back into my room and curled up in my bed. I closed my eyes so that sleep would take over me, but the only thing that I could see and think about was images of Eric Northman. This was frustrating me in more ways than one. "Oh hell." I decided that it was easier to go with it than to fight it, then maybe I could sleep.

I turned onto my back and slid my hand back into my panties. I closed my eyes and let my imagination take over. I imagined that it was me that Eric was preparing to bite. We were sitting together on his leather sofa in his office and I was sitting between his legs with my back pressed against his chest. He was running his hand up and down my arms and kissing my neck with his perfect lips. He quickly moved his hands under my blouse to caress my breasts. It was almost as if I was really with him.

In my imagination he moved his hand down my body over my leg and into my panties while I sped up stroking myself and I came hard as I imagined him sinking his fangs into me. It wasn't as good as when I could hear Eric's voice, but it was enough to make me sleepy. I turned onto my side and curled up hugging my pillow and I was soon asleep with thoughts of the sex god Eric Northman in my mind and dreams.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N So here is the new chapter. Some of you have asked if I am going to do and Eric POV on this story. For now I am saying no, but i have said that to myself before, so you never know what may happen. I also want every one to know that i am still working on my other stories, this one has just taken over my mind, so i am running with it for now, but i will continue the others. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

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><p>I woke up the next morning sweating and feeling extremely frustrated, even more than the night before. My dreams had been filled with a blonde haired, blue eyed Adonis who I was aching for. I had never felt like this before and I didn't know how I was going to face Eric tonight. He heard what I'd done last night and I knew that was all he was going to be thinking about when he saw me.<p>

I wanted to bury my head in my pillow and hide from the world, but I knew that I had to talk to Gran this morning about what was going on. I pushed aside my embarrassment and my arousal an got out of bed to start my day.

I grabbed a t-shirt, shorts, bra and panties and went to take a shower. I wanted to take my time so that I could avoid this talk a bit longer, but I knew I would be taking another shower later.

I was just about finished and was just letting the water cascade down on my back when I started thinking about Eric again. I started to imagine him being here with me, touching me, kissing me, biting me. Thinking about him biting me was what sent me over the edge. I actually had an orgasm just thinking about Eric Northman biting me. This was ridiculous! What in the hell was I going to do when I was in the same room with him after this? I pushed that aside for no and cleaned up again very quickly.

I got out, dried off and dressed even faster. I went out into the kitchen and found Gran there with a cup of coffee and she was focused on her book. "Good morning Gran."

"Good morning dear. You're up early today. Did you have anything special planned?"

"Not until tonight." I fixed myself a cup of coffee, then sat down next to Gran. "Gran, there is something that I need to talk to you about."

She looked up at me and I could see the concern on her face. "Is there something wrong Sookie?"

"Well Gran, sort of. This is very complicated and I don't really want to tell you, but you need to know." She set her book down and focused all her attention on me. I knew that I had to do this, so I took a deep breath and started. "Gran, there was a vampire in Merlotte's the other night."

"Oh Sookie, that's so exciting. Did he try and bite anyone?"

"No, but the thing is that he is not a nice vampire and he lives next door to us in the old Compton place. His name is Bill Compton."

"I wonder how old he is and if he lived in the house when he was alive. I have so many questions I want to ask him."

"NO! Gran, you have to promise me that you will not let Bill Compton into our home or even open the door to him. He is a very bad man. He was sent her to abduct me."

"Oh my Lord! Why would he want to do that?"

"A higher ranking vampire sent him. They know about my telepathy Gran and that's why he came for me. He wants to take me to New Orleans were I'd practically be a slave for the vampires there."

"Sookie, we have to do something. They can't just take you. We need to call the police." She went to go get the phone, but I stopped her.

"Gran, Bud Dearborn can't help with this. I actually have someone you is willing to help me with the situation. He's a vampire and he's in charge around here, but he has some stipulations."

"Like what?"

"He wants me to move to Shreveport and work in his bar for him."

"But you already have a home and a job."

"He said that it would be safer for me to be closer to him and while working in his bar I won't just be waiting on tables."

It took her a minute to realize what I'd meant by that. "Oh Sookie, he'll still be using you for you telepathy."

"Gran, he is the lesser of two evils. He's going to pay me for my work, I get to keep my tips and I'll even have health insurance. I'll have my own place to live and I volunteered to use my telepathy. Who know what they would make me do in New Orleans."

"Sookie, do you really want to do this?"

"I don't think that I really have a choice, but I think that it will be good for me to do this. I need to be out on my own, but I won't be that far away if you need me."

"I will always need you Sookie, but you're right. You are a young woman and you need to get away from this town for awhile."

"I guess I have my decision then." I couldn't stop the tears from welling up in my eyes.

"Don't cry my darling. Just like you'll be there if I need you, I will also be here whenever you need me."

"Thanks Gran, I know you will be." I hugged her and I felt better now that she knew what was going on.

After our hug, Gran and I fixed and ate breakfast together before I changed into my bikini and went outside to enjoy the sun with one of my new library books. It wasn't even ten o'clock yet and it was already in the mid-eighties outside. The sun was shining bright already and I loved it. I was used to the heat living in the south and the sun and being tan was my only vice.

I laid out on one of the lawn chairs and started reading my book. It didn't take me long to get lost in my story. I was fifty pages in when the author described the male in the story as a blonde, blue eyed, Viking. I turned the cover around so that I could see the picture and it could have been Eric posing there in the leather pants and animal furs. That made me wonder if Eric really could have been a Viking. He surely looked like he could.

As I started thinking about a Viking vampire I quickly marked my page and pushed my book away. I was having enough fantasies of my own without any outside help.

After I'd been outside for a couple of hours and was nice and golden I was starting to get a bit to hot, so I made my way inside. I found a note from Gran saying that she was having lunch with her Descendants of the Glorious Dead group and didn't know what time that she would be home. I fixed myself a sandwich and a glass of sweet tea, then I went into my room to have a nap. I didn't know how long I was going to be with Eric tonight and I wanted to be able to focus and not be distracted if that was even possible.

I curled up on top of my bed and it didn't take long for me to fall asleep. I could feel myself start to dream, but it didn't feel like it was a dream. I was in a house that I had never seen before and I saw a woman sitting on a sofa like she was waiting for me. She looked to be only a few years older than I was, but her waist length hair that was white as snow and her eyes that were black that you could see had decades, probably more like centuries of knowledge showed otherwise. "Hello Sookie."

"Hello." I really didn't know what to say. This was unlike any dream that I'd ever had before.

"You are here for a very important reason Sookie. You have done the right thing. You were right not to trust Bill Compton and by going to the Northman."

"Who are you and how do you know all of this?"

"You can call me Nessa and I know more than you think. You would have been hurt beyond imagine if you had saved Bill Compton that night. You would have loved him, given him your heart and your innocence and he would have hurt you terribly in return."

The thought of even being in the same room with Bill Compton was making my skin crawl let alone having him touch me. "How do you know all of this?"

"I'm a seer. I can see into the future and the future that you would have had with that worm Compton was not the future you were meant to have. You were meant to be with the Viking."

"He really is a Viking?" I couldn't stop the words from coming out of my mouth or the smile that spread across my face hearing her call him that.

"When he was human he was a Viking." A smile spread across her face as well. "You are attracted to him aren't you?"

I could feel my face turn red at her question. "Well yeah, I mane who wouldn't. He's gorgeous."

"He's intrigued by you Sookie."

"Of course he is. Who wouldn't be intrigued by a telepath."

"It's not just that. There is more to you than you know. You are special Sookie and you are more deserving of the Viking's attentions than you realize."

"I don't understand. I'm just a barmaid from Bon Temps. There's nothing special about me except for my telepathy and most people just think that I'm crazy because of it."

"You've never been crazy Sookie. You really are special."

"How am I special?"

"I can't tell you that. You need to learn that in your own time, but there is something very important that I need to tell you now."

"What is it?"

"Don't have sex with Eric."

If Gran had been there right now she would have said that I was catching flies the way that my mouth was hanging open and I could feel that my face was beet red. What she had asked me to do may be harder than she realized. I had practically had sex with Eric last night and we hadn't even been in the same room. "I don't know if that's going to be possible."

She laughed at my words. "I know what happened with you two on the phone last night." I was absolutely mortified now. I sat down in a chair and dropped my head into my hands. I wanted the earth to swallow me whole at that moment. "Sookie, you don't have any reason to be embarrassed about that, just don't do it again."

I looked up at her and I could tell that she was completely serious. "Nessa, I don't understand why you don't want me to have sex with Eric." Just the thought of sex with Eric sent a pleasant thrill through my body.

"Okay, let me put this another way. Don't have sex with him right away. If you do it will effect things between you and Eric. If you wait to have sex with him, he'll see another side of you and you'll see another side of him."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"That is a very good thing." She didn't elaborate, so I let it go.

I looked around the room and we were in a very nice house. "What is this place?"

"This is where you and Eric will fall in love."

I was stunned. "This is a real place?"

"Yes and I am a real person, but you wouldn't recognize me if you saw me in person." She stopped and I could feel myself being pulled away. "It's time for you to wake up now Sookie. Remember what I said, but if you wear red tonight it will start you off on the right foot. Everything is going to work out fine Sookie. Until we meet again."

I was pulled from my dream and I sat up with a start on my bed. I was even more confused about things after my dream with Nessa, who ever she was, but I also seemed to feel lighter somehow. I was doing what I was suppose to do, I was suppose to be with Eric. That made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But I still had more questions than answers. What was so special about me? I didn't feel so special, but I couldn't, I wouldn't think about that now. If I thought about that now I would make myself crazy. Nessa said I would learn why I was special in time and I believed her. I had no reason to, but I just knew that she wouldn't lie to me.

I looked out my bedroom window and I could see that the sun was hanging low in the sky. I looked over at the clock and it was already after seven o'clock and I had to be at Fangtasia by ten.

I jumped off the bed and ran into the kitchen. I scarfed down a pre-made salad I had picked up the day before and a tall glass of sweet tea, then I made my way into the bathroom.

I washed and scrubbed every inch of my skin in the shower, then after I was dried off I lathered up every inch with lotion. I had a nice golden glow to my skin from being out in the sun and I hoped that Eric wouldn't mind.

I dried my freshly washed hair with the hairdryer, then I used a curling iron to make big ringlets to hang around my face. When I was finished with my hair and thinking about my make up I decided to go for a deep red lipstick, black mascara and some eye shadow that made my eyes look smoky and made them pop out. I thought I looked damn sexy, now I just needed to find what to wear.

I went into my bedroom and went straight to the back of my closet. I had a red dress that I had splurged on almost a year ago that I never had a chance to wear that I knew would be perfect. Now it seemed like the perfect time. I wouldn't need to wear a bra with it even with my ample boson, it laced up the bodice under each breast, it had a red ribbon bow between the breast, spaghetti straps and it flare out a bit at the waist with lace and ribbon adorning it. It would be perfect and I knew that Eric would love it.

I found a pair of red panties to go with it and slid them on. I was tempted to go with a thong that I had, but that would just be pushing the limit. I quickly dressed without messing up my hair or make up and finished the outfit with my new red heels. I took a look at myself in the mirror and I thought that I looked pretty hot. That thought almost made me change my outfit. I wanted to hold back like Nessa said, but I didn't want to push him to hard with temptation. I decided I looked to good to change, so I grabbed my purse that I had used last night and hadn't unpacked and went out into the kitchen.

Gran hadn't gotten home yet, but she had left a message on the answering machine saying that she was going to be at Maxine Fortenberry's house until late. I left Gran a note telling her that I didn't know what time I'd be home, then grabbed my keys on the way to the door.

I stopped before I opened the door and opened my mind to see if there was anyone or anything out there. I could sense that there was one void at the bottom of the porch steps. I peeked out the window and was relieved to see Pam standing there. I took in her outfit and she was wearing a pink, velour track suit/ I thought that she wore black all the time, but I guess that I was wrong.

I stepped outside, locked the door behind me and stood at the top of the stairs. I looked down at Pam and I heard a loud click and saw that her fangs were out. I was about to make a run for it if there was trouble coming our way, but it stopped me when she spoke. "Sookie, you look absolutely delicious this evening."

Oh! I was the reason her fangs had come out. I could have been grossed out or weirded out about that, but instead I decided to be flattered. "Thank you Pam. Are you following me to Fangtasia?"

"No, I am your driver for the evening." She pointed to her car and it took everything in me not to giggle. She drove a mini-van. That was the last thing that I would ever expect a vampire to drive. If you put her car together with her outfit you would think that she was a soccer mom if you didn't know she was a vampire, but I wasn't about to tell her that.

We got into the van and Pam seemed to drive to Fangtasia at top speed. We didn't say anything to each other, but that was all right with me since I was holding on tight because the forty to sixty minute drive to Shreveport took Pam less than thirty minutes. She parked by the front door and I realized that there was nobody there. That seemed a bit odd to me. "Pam, where is everybody?"

"Fangtasia is closed tonight."

I was going to be alone in there with Eric? Now I really did wish that I changed my outfit.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N Sorry for the delay with this chapter. I've been working on my other stories and this chapter took a bit longer than i thought. there is a lot of information in this chapter and a bit of Sookie and Eric and a bed. I'l let you translate that as you see fit. Enjoy and let me know what you think. Review are like crack and make me want to write more:)

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><p>I managed to get out of Pam's van, but I was hesitant to go inside. I had butterflies in my stomach, I was so nervous. I didn't know if I could go in there knowing that it was just going to be the two of us. I took a couple of deep breaths and pulled up my big girl panties. I could do this. I held my head up high as I walked inside Fangtasia.<p>

I looked around as I walked in and it seemed strange not having to shield myself against dozens of minds. I had my mind wide open and all there was, was silence. I could get used to this.

I was still looking around when I saw Eric sitting on his throne. He had his hair pulled back with a few wisps falling over his face. He was wearing black leather boots, black leather pants and a long sleeved black silk, buttoned down shirt that only had a few buttons done up. I could feel his beautiful eyes on me, but I was more focused on his chest. I wanted to run my hands and lips over every inch of it. I wanted to walk up to his throne, straddle him and ride him like a hobby horse… Son of a bitch! This was going to be very, very difficult.

"Good evening Miss Stackhouse."

"Good evening Mr. Northman."

"Have you made your decision?"

"Yes. I accept your protection, but I have a couple more questions that I need answered."

I'd been across the room from Eric, but within a second he was right there next to me. He was leaning in so close that I felt his cool breath on my neck as he spoke. "Will this question and answer session end up like last night's on the phone?" He trailed his fingers down my neck and my whole body was trembling, but I managed to force myself to calm down.

"Eric, we can't do this."

"I love how my name sounds on you lips Sookie."

"Ditto, but we really can't do this Eric." My voice was huskier than I had intended and my heart was pounding in my chest.

"We could be so good together." He continued caressing down my arms, then settled both of his hands on my hips. I wanted more of his touch, I wanted to press closer to him, but I knew that I had to keep my distance.

"But for how long? I don't know you Eric, but I can tell that you are not someone who is familiar with monogamy."

"Sookie I…" I brought my fingers to his lips to stop whatever he was going to say to me. Big mistake. He darted his tongue out and pulled my index finger into his mouth. In that moment I wanted his mouth on other parts of my body and those thoughts caused my panties to become very wet and I could feel my nipples harden against my dress. I was in deep trouble.

"Eric, please, I cant do this." I managed to pull my finger out of his mouth and put some distance between us. "I want you more than anything right now, but I'm not about to be just a notch in you bedpost. That's not how I want my first and every time after that to be. I want to make love to somebody that I care for and I want it to be romantic and special and magical."

He stepped closer to me and took my face in his hands. "I could do that for you Sookie. I could show you so many things if you would just let me."

"I know that you could, but could you love me?" He pulled his hands away like my skin was burning him, but he didn't say anything. I had my answer and I knew that Nessa was right. "That's what I thought. Would you be willing to answer my questions now?"

His composure had slipped when I asked if he could love me, but he put his sheriff face back on when I asked if he'd answer my questions. "Of course I can do that. Let's take a seat." He led me over to a booth without touching me which I was a little disappointed about, then he disappeared. I was worried that maybe I had screwed up, but he came back a moment later with a stack of papers. He separated them into two stacks in front of me and handed me a pen. "These forms are standard Fangtasia new hire forms, and this is a personalized contract I had drawn up for our arrangement."

"Before I sign anything I really do have a couple of important questions that I need you to answer." He motioned for me to go on. "I know that you said you could find somebody to help with my Gran, but what about at night when Bill Compton is out and about? I've warned her against him, but she's curious and might still confront him. I don't want something to happen to her because I was saving myself. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if that happened."

He took back the personal contract, flipped a few pages in and scribbled something down. "I have now extended my protection to your grandmother as well. I will see that she has a bodyguard watching over her at night."

"With they be a vampire?"

"Yes, and I have just the man for the job. He is a bit slow, but he's good at taking orders." I looked at him confused about how a slow vampire would be able to watch my grandmother, so he continued. "He can do this. He needs to be kept hidden, so jobs like this are perfect for him.

"He was brought into the morgue the night he supposedly died and the attendant working was a vampire and a big fan. He found that there was still a tiny spark of life, so the attendant brought him over, but the transition didn't go quite right because there was so much alcohol and drugs in his system. As I said he's slow and had a taste for cat blood, but he's very loyal."

"You said that the attendant was a fan. Is this vampire a celebrity?"

"He was a very famous singer when he was alive, but he doesn't go by his given name anymore. We call him Bubba now. We have to keep a close eye on him. The tabloids have spotted him in the past and it's always big news when he is seen."

There was one person who popped into my mind that there was always sighting of, but it couldn't be. "How long ago was he turned?"

"Later summer of 1977 in Memphis."

"Holy shit! Elvis is a vampire?" He nodded. "Wow!" I pushed aside my awe at what I had learned and got back to business. "So my Gran with be safe with him?"

"Yes. He will let no harm come to your Gran."

"Are you going to be all right doing this for me? I mean are you going to be punished for keeping me from the queen?"

He reached across the table and took my hand. "Why would you care if I was punished? No matter what happens to me you will be protected."

"I care because I don't want to see you hurt. If something is going to happen to you, we are going to tear up the contract right now and I'll find another way to get myself out of this mess." I went to pick up the contract to rip it up, but he stopped me with a smirk on his face.

"You are feisty. I like that. In answer to your question, nothing is going to happen to me. I am older than the queen. I could take over her kingdom if I choose to and she doesn't want to take that chance."

I felt better knowing that everyone was going to be safe I went about filling out my paperwork and signing my contract. Eric was nice enough to explain to me anything that I didn't understand. I was fighting the urge to ask him to sit next to me or go and sit next to him on my own, but I managed to make myself stay where I was.

When all the i's where dotted and all the t's where crossed I thought that I would be able to go home and not have to fight this lust building inside me anymore, but I was wrong. "Now that we have the paperwork part done, how would you like to go and see your new home?"

I couldn't stop myself from getting excited. I'd never had a place of my own before. "Can we really? I would love to."

He stood up and held out his hand for me to take. "Of course we can. Would you rather drive or fly?"

"You can fly?" That sounded totally cool, but a little scary too."

"I can do many things Sookie." He was looking me up and down with lust filled eyes. As much as I wanted to try flying being curled up in his arms, but for my sanity we needed to take his car and I told him so. He seemed a bit disappointed, but he let it go and led me out to his shiny, red corvette. He held the door for me and helped me in before we were on our way.

It was a quiet ride to my new home. I wanted to say something to break the silence between us, but instead I just kept looking at him out of the corner of my eyes. He was gorgeous and who wouldn't want to look at him, but there was something more to him and I hoped that I would be able to find out what that was.

I was so focused on Eric that I didn't even realize that we were stopped until I saw him get out of the car. I looked around to check out my new place and realized that we were in a two car garage and the other car was a very expense looking Audi. I hadn't expected to be in a house, but this just made it even more exciting. I hoped we wouldn't be disturbing anybody coming here this late at night.

Eric came around to open my door and he held out his hand to help me out. I took his hand and he led me inside. We entered through the kitchen and it was even bigger than Gran's kitchen. There were beautiful granite countertops and brand new stainless steel appliances. I could cook a feast in this kitchen. I would have to invite Gran over to do some cooking here.

I looked through the cabinets and drawers and they were empty except for a couple of glasses. I would have to stock up, but for now I would have to settle for the bare necessities. Maybe Gran would let me borrow some things until I could afford my own.

After I'd explored the kitchen, Eric showed me the downstairs bathroom that was decorated in a black and white scheme. There was a toilet, sink, and a walk in shower. It was darker than I would have liked, but it worked for me.

He led me down the hall to where the den/library was. There was a huge fireplace, a black leather couch, with two matching arm chairs and shelves and shelves full of books. I couldn't resist taking a peek.

They were mostly leather bound books and looked as if they were first editions. Most were classics and some I'd never even heard of. I was going to love getting lost in these tales in front of a roaring fire, but I wondered who all these things belonged to. I didn't want to put anybody out. "Eric, whose house is this?"

"It will be yours when you sign the deed if you decide that you like it." He led me out of the den and to the stairs. I saw the living room as we passed and it was the room from my dream. I more than liked it.

"Eric I do like the house so far, but who owns it now? I don't want to put anybody out."

"You wont be. This is one of my safe houses."

I stopped short at the top of the stairs and turned to face him. "Eric, you can't just give me your house. Where will you live?"

"It's for your protection to give you the house. Any vampire can enter another vampire's home without an invitation and we don't want that. And this isn't my main residence. I have two other homes in Shreveport besides this one and many more throughout the state, hell all over the world. You can never be too careful." He did make sense, so I let it go as he showed me the first of the four bedrooms up here.

It was a dark, emerald green room. The walls, the bed linens and the curtains were all a beautiful emerald green. You'd think that it would be too dark, but it was lovely. I went into the adjoining bathroom and the fixtures and floor were the same dark green with the walls a bright white. I was definitely loving this house.

The other two rooms were in jeweled tones as well in a dark amethyst and sapphire blue. I wouldn't change a thing and I felt very comfortable here until we reached the double doors leading to the master bedroom. "This is usually my room when I stay here. It's light tight and there is a key code on the other side of the door that will keep people out. You can feel free to use this room if you like. It's the biggest and has the most luxurious bathroom."

I had been fine in the other bedrooms being so close to Eric, but this is where he'd slept before. This was completely different. I was definitely going to have to keep myself together in here.

He opened the door and led me inside. This room was even darker than the others. The walls were striped black and a deep crimson. Everything was dark and masculine, but the one thing that draws you attention is the bed. I had never seen a bed so big in my entire life. You could have a group of friends sleep on that bed with you and never even realize it. I couldn't stop myself from walking up to the bed.

There were black silk sheets with a red silk comforter and matching black and red silk pillow cases. I ran my fingers over the cool, smooth fabric and wondered what it would fill like against my bare skin. "Don't be afraid to try it out."

I had almost forgotten that Eric was there until I noticed that he'd made himself comfortable on the bed. He patted the empty spot beside him and I couldn't stop myself from joining him. I set my purse down, slipped off my shoes, then got onto the bed. There had been several feet between Eric and me one second, then the next he was right next to me. I wanted to reach out and touch him, but that would lead to trouble. "This is a very comfortable bed."

"I do enjoy my modern comforts."

"Is this bed durable as well as comfortable?"

He moved even closer and slid his hand over my side to rest on my hip. "I have never tested the durability of this bed before, but I'm always up for it."

I was shocked by that, but I decided to have some fun with him. "Well, we should really remedy that right now." I could see him start to move even closer to me, so I moved quicker than him. I stood up and started jumping up and down on the bed. "Woo hoo!" I felt like a kid again jumping up and down on the bed like this.

I looked down at Eric and he was looking at me like I was crazy. "Come on Eric. Kick off your shoes and jump with me. It's so much fun." He watched me for another minute before he kicked off his shoes and joined me. I couldn't believe that I was jumping up and down on a bed with a vampire, but it was so much fun.

Eric took my hands as we were jumping and he had a huge, gorgeous smile on his face. In that moment I knew that I was seeing the real Eric Northman, I also knew that taking things slow and getting to know one another was all going to be worth it.

When I was breathless from jumping I bounced down onto the bed with Eric right there beside me. We were both laughing and it felt right. I felt so comfortable with him. I wanted him to stay her with me, but that was rushing things way too much, at least for now.

We were on a bed smiling at each other when Eric did something I would never have expected. "Would you like to go get some ice cream?"

I couldn't stop the giggles that burst out of me, but I quickly reined them back in. "You don't even eat. Why would you want to take me out for ice cream?"

"I just thought that since we were having fun, I would take you to get something fun to eat. Ice cream is fun, isn't it?"

"It is very fun and I would love to get ice cream with you." I sat up on the edge of the bed and went to reach for my shoes.

Before I could grab the first one, Eric was there with my shoe in his hand. "Please allow me." I nodded my head. I wasn't about to pass up any chance for him to touch me. His hand slid down my calf and cradled my foot as he slid my shoe on. I never realized that my calf and foot were directly connected to my lady bits.

He did the same to the other foot and I was barely able to keep myself under control. I wanted him to touch every inch of my body for the rest of the night, but he wanted to take me to get ice cream, so I wanted ice cream.

He took my hand and helped me up. He led me back downstairs and he kept holding my hand the whole way until we got to the car. His hand felt right entwined with mine. He helped me in the car, zipped around to the driver's side and we were off again.

He had a standard transmission on his car, so has he drove he wasn't holding my hand anymore and I didn't like that one bit. Without really thinking about it, I reached over and rested my hand on top of his. I waited for him to push my hand away, but he didn't. He looked over at me and he was smiling at me again. I had a feeling that seeing Eric Northman smile was a rare sight and I was privileged to see it so much tonight.

He started caressing my hand with his thumb and I got so lost in that gentle touch that I didn't even notice when we had stopped again. He pulled his hand away and I still didn't like it.

I watched as he zipped around the car to open my door and held out his hand for me again. He was definitely getting bonus points in my book for being chivalrous to a lady.

He led me inside and I could see that we were in a very upscale restaurant. This was not what I was expecting when he said he wanted to take me out for ice cream, but who knew what else was even open this time of night anyway. It was twelve-thirty in the morning after all.

We stopped at the hostess stand and I couldn't stop myself from slipping into her mind. After everything that I'd heard the last few days I figured it would be better to be safe than sorry, especially around strangers.

Her mind was fuzzy to me, kind of like Sam's mind when I wasn't touching him. I tried to push a little further into her mind, but I was only getting sporadic words here and there. I was so focused on this woman's mind that Eric had to tug on my hand to get me to follow him to our table.

We sat down in our booth and I couldn't help opening my mind up to see what I could find. Surprisingly there were quite a few minds that were fuzzy to me, there were also quite a few voids that were other vampires and there were also other minds that were shut off to me, but I could tell that they weren't vampire. I felt like I was in a telepathic funhouse.

Eric tugged on my hand to get my attention as the hostess handed my a menu and said that our waitress would be right with us. "Are you all right Sookie?"

"What kind of a place is this?"

"I was wondering if you would notice."

"How could I not notice? There are barely a handful of people in here that I can read clearly. What are these other people?"

Eric went through and pointed out different people to me and told me what they were. The hostess with the fuzzy thoughts was a werewolf, the voids were obviously vampires and the others that I couldn't read he told me were daemons. I was in awe with all this, but the biggest thing on my mind was that Sam's thoughts were like the hostess's. I was about to ask Eric about that when the waitress came to take our order. I quickly looked at the dessert section of the menu and I ordered a tropical fruit sundae. It was vanilla ice cream with chocolate fudge sauce, a mango and papaya puree, chunks of pineapple, whipped cream and a cherry on top. I felt better ordering a sundae this late at night knowing that there was a lot of fruit on it. Eric ordered a glass of blood off of a separate menu and when the waitress went to fill the order I asked Eric my question. "Is my boss Sam some kind of werewolf?"

"He never told you that he was a shape shifter?"

"No and what in the hell is a shape shifter?"

"Unlike the werewolves or the were-panthers or any Weres that can only take the shape of one animal, a shape shifter can turn into any animal. They are very rare."

"I can't believe that he never told me that he was different. He has always known that I was different and he never said anything."

"Sookie, you have to understand that for the supernaturals we are used to living in secret. We have been hiding ourselves for thousands of years. It just becomes second nature to us."

"I guess I can understand that." But it didn't mean that I wasn't going to ream Sam Merlotte out the next time I saw him, even if I was telling him I was quitting my job, but I didn't want to think about him anymore. "How have you been able to hide for so long?"

"Most of us blend in with humans, but vampires have always had the most difficult time not being able to go out during the daytime."

"Do you ever miss being out in the sun?"

"I've been living in the dark for over a thousand years. It's hard to miss something that you don't remember."

The waitress came back then with our order. I thanked her, then I decided to keep asking Eric questions until he told me to stop. We could have a getting to know you session over our snack. "Do you like being a vampire?" I took a bite of my sundae and I couldn't stop myself from moaning as all the different tastes exploded in my mouth. This was the most incredible sundae that I had ever tasted.

Eric was smiling at me as he went to answer my question. "I love being a vampire. I enjoy the strength and the power and the danger and everything that goes with it."

My next question was hard for me to ask, but I needed to know his answer to it. "Are you seeing anybody right now?"

"I see people all the time, but the only person I see right now is you." Good answer, but not what I was looking for.

"Do you date a lot?"

I could see that he was hesitant to answer for a moment before he spoke. "Sookie, I feel the need to be truthful with you. I don't date per say. I find someone and I feed and fuck them." I couldn't help flinching at his choice of words. "It's how vampires are Sookie. Feeding and sex are closely intertwined."

I was starting to lose my appetite. I didn't like the thought of Eric sleeping with somebody else or even feeding from someone else either. Maybe Nessa was wrong about Eric and I. I don't think that I can just sit back and be okay knowing that he was with somebody else when I wanted him to be with me.

I looked up at him and I couldn't do this anymore. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes, but I wouldn't let them fall. I pushed my sundae away. "I'm finished. I want to go home now." I stood up and practically ran for the door before he could stop me.

I stopped at the corvette wondering if I would be able to sit with him in the car ride back to the house or if it would be easier to call Jason to come and get me. Before I could decide Eric was next to me. I took a couple of deep breaths to calm myself down. I could easily fall in love with Eric, but not if he was going to be unfaithful. My head was spinning as Eric spoke. "Sookie, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, I just want to go home please." I couldn't look up at him. I was afraid that my tears would fall if I did so I kept my head down as I got into the car.

We drove in silence back to Bon Temps. He drove down the driveway to the farmhouse and I knew driveway was reeking havoc with his car, but I didn't have it in me to care at that moment. I needed to get away from Eric and the images I kept creating in my mind of him with those fangbangers at Fangtasia.

He barely had the car stopped when I jumped out and ran to the back door. I needed to have a good cry right now in my own bed without prying eyes. I should have known that I would never make it. Eric caught up to me on the porch before I could even reach the door. He turned me around so that I was facing him and brought my head up so that I was looking at him. "I have upset you."

I quickly wiped away a stray tear that had escaped. "Of course not. You don't know me and I don't know you. You can do whatever you please as long as you keep me and my Gran safe from the queen. Good night Eric." I tried to go inside, but he wouldn't let me go. "Eric, please, I'm tired and I have a lot that I have to do tomorrow."

I turned to go inside, but his voice stopped me. "What if I want to get to know you Sookie?"

"What?"

"I want to know you Sookie. I want to be in your company. Those others are only a means to an end and I do not want them anymore. I want only you."

"You won't feed on anyone else?"

"Will you allow me to drink from you every once in awhile? I'm old enough that I only need a few sips a week and if I were to need more I suppose I could handle drinking True Blood."

"That sounds reasonable. Will you also not have sex with anyone else?"

"If we can work something out on that end, then I will not have sex with anyone else either."

"I think that we can do that." I didn't know quite what he had in mind, but a little playing couldn't hurt. I was just happy that he was agreeing to this and I couldn't stop myself from throwing my arms around his neck and hugging him tight. "Eric, thank you so much. I promise you that you won't regret this."

"I know it won't. You are worth any sacrifice."

I knew that he was making some big sacrifices for me, so I thought I should give him a little something in return. I pulled away from hugging him, but instead of letting him go completely, I pulled him down and kissed him. I put every ounce of feeling and potential feelings I had for him into that kiss.

I had only been kissed a few times due to my telepathy and this kiss blew all of those other kisses out of the water. His lips were even nicer than I had imagined. They were soft and smooth and he definitely knew what he was doing. He had taken over the kiss and he ran his tongue over my lips asking for entry which I willingly gave.

I could feel that his fangs were out and that turned me on even more. It didn't even bother me when I tasted blood in my mouth. I thought that it was my own since my tongue was now playing with his. I thought that I had nicked it on his fang, but I realized that it was his blood. It didn't taste like blood to me, it was sweet like dark chocolate and I wanted more, but my need to breathe pulled me back.

I was breathless after that kiss and Eric wasn't completely unaffected either. We stood there for a few minutes just looking at one another. I wanted to go home with him and never leave his side after only that one kiss, but I knew that I couldn't, at least not yet anyway. "I should really get to bed."

"Someday soon Lover, we will get to go to bed together. Until tomorrow night." He kissed me one last time before he got back into his car and drove off.

I quickly went inside feeling better than I had in days. Maybe everything would work out well after all.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N So no Eric in this chapter, i feel a little lost, but i needed to get some things out there. There's a lot going on so let me know what you think. I love hearing it Enjoy!

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><p>I slept better that night that I had the previous few nights. I still dreamt about Eric, but it wasn't as lust filled as before. This dream had us kissing quite a bit, but we were acting like a normal couple. I dreamt that we went to the movies and to the beach under the moonlight. It was so nice and normal that I was sad to wake up, but I had a lot to do today.<p>

I got out of bed and saw that it was a little before nine and I need to get a move on. I went to the bathroom, did my business, washed my face, brushed my teeth and hair and dressed in a tank top and shorts.

I went into the kitchen when I was done and found Gran cooking up a storm for breakfast. "Morning Gran."

"Morning Sweetie. How did everything go last night?"

"Just fine Gran. I'm moving into a beautiful house and you should see the kitchen Gran. You could cook up a giant feast in that kitchen and still have room left over." I told her all about my new home and what I had planned to do today as we chowed down on our breakfast and I helped her clean up.

Gran went into the living room while I went to get my shoes and purse when there was a knock on the door. I went to answer it, but I stopped before opening the door and opened my mind to see who was on the other side of the door. I knew that it couldn't be a vampire since it was daytime, but it didn't hurt to be cautious.

I listened to the man's thoughts, but he was thinking so quickly all I could catch was Eric's name. If Eric sent him, then I knew it was all right to let him in. I opened the door and plastered a smile on my face. "Hi there. Can I help you?"

"Are you Miss Stackhouse?"

"That's me."

"I have some papers and things that Mr. Northman sent me to go over with you."

"Okay, please come in Mr….?"

"Burnham, Bobby Burnham. I'm Mr. Northman's day man."

"Please come in Mr. Burnham." I led him into the kitchen. "Please have a seat. Can I get you something to drink or anything at all?"

"No thank you, I'm fine." I sat down next to him and he started right off. He pulled papers out of a briefcase that he was carrying and set them in front of me. "Here is the deed to the house that you are moving into. I just need your signature at the bottom of the page." I took the pen that he offered and signed away.

He pulled out a set of keys, some more papers and a garage door opener and handed them to me. "Here are your keys, the directions to the house and the garage door opener." He brought another shopping bag that he carried in and set that in front of me. "I also have for you a new cell phone that is all charged and ready for you to use with all the important numbers already loaded in it." He reached back into his briefcase and pulled out an envelope and handed it to me. I quickly tore it open. It was thicker than I expected and I was shocked as what was inside. There was a credit car and a very large stack of one hundred dollar bills.

"What is all of this for?" My hands were trembling just from holding that much money.

"I was instructed to tell you that this is for any house hold incidentals you would need and any expenses you were to have while moving."

I wanted to pitch a fit at that moment over that amount of money, but as I stopped and thought about it I realized that this was another way for him to protect me. He was making it easy for me to get settled into my new home as quickly and efficiently as possible so that I wouldn't be any more exposed than necessary. I closed the envelope and set it aside. "Is there anything else?" Just as I said that I heard someone coming up the driveway. "What is that?"

"That would be your new car."

"My new car?"

"Well, your temporary car until your bullet proof car is ready."

"Bulletproof? What the hell does he think is going to come after me?"

"I don't know ma'am."

I got up, slid on a pair of flip flops that I'd left by the door and went out onto the front porch. I stopped short at what I was seeing. I couldn't believe the car that he had picked out for me. It was a huge SUV. In my mind this was not really a car that blended in well and made me inconspicuous.

I walked down the steps and watched a young woman get out of the car. She looked even younger than me and she didn't seem the type of person who hung around with vampires. I opened my mind to hear what she was thinking about. _I can't believe that Mr. Northman asked me to do these favors for him. I can't say that the extra thousand dollars isn't a bonus, but I would have done this for him anyway. Mr. Northman is a kind vampire and she looks really nice and sweet, not anything like the normal trashy girls that hang around him like Ginger…_

I stopped listening as she walked up to me with a sweet smile on her face and her hand outstretched for me to shake. "Hi there. Are you Sookie Stackhouse?"

"That's me."

"I'm Belinda. I work at Fangtasia and Mr. Northman asked me to introduce myself so that when you start work later this week you'll know somebody besides him and he also want me to help you learn the ropes."

"That's very kind of you Belinda, thank you."

She handed me the keys to my new car and a manila envelope. "It's no bother at all. Here are your keys. The insurance and registration are in the glove box and this envelope has a list of places to go and pick up clothes to wear at the bar. Some of the other waitresses dress trashy, but most of us prefer things that are tasteful. The best place is right in the same strip mall as the bar. The woman who runs it is very helpful. Her name is Amelia and she always knows just what you need."

"Thank you Belinda, you have been so helpful already. I can't wait to start working with you."

"Ditto. Are we ready to go Mr. Burnham?"

"Yes." I hadn't even known Bobby had come outside. He stopped next to me. "My numbers are in your new phone. If you need anything feel free to call me anytime day or night."

"Thank you Mr. Burnham."

"Good day Miss Stackhouse."

"Good day. Bye Belinda." Belinda waved to me as they got into Bobby's car and drove away.

When they were gone I couldn't stop myself from heading over to my new car. I opened up the driver's side door and I was hit with that wonderful new car smell. I had never had a new car of my own before and this was a real treat and a new experience.

I got inside and I was already in love. The seat was so comfortable and it was the softest leather I'd ever felt. Eric was not one to go have way when it came to comfort and also when it came to options. There were all kinds of gadgets that I'd never had in a car before. There were automatic door locks and windows, an air conditioner, a CD player and all kinds of buttons and knobs that I didn't know what they did. I was going to have to read the instructions on this beast, or maybe I could have Eric show me what everything did. That would be much more pleasant.

I put thoughts of Eric to the back of my mind for now and went inside to talk to Gran. I knew that she had been giving me space to talk to Bobby and I just knew that now that he was gone she was going to be chomping at the bit to know what had been said.

Gran was sitting on the sofa knitting and watching her stories. She put her knitting aside the minute she saw me come in and I went and sat next to her and didn't even wait for her to ask before I told her about everything.

She waited until I was done before she spoke. "Sookie, do you think that it's appropriate to accept all of these things from a man you hardly know? It just doesn't seem right to me."

I'd had a feeling that Gran wasn't going to approve. "Gran, I know that it may look like I'm going to be a 'kept woman', but Eric is just doing all of this to protect me. Putting me in a safe house and making sure that I have everything that I need is his way of protecting me. It's either I live like a princess her near my family and friends, or I get abducted and forced to live in New Orleans where I will be treated like a slave and you will most likely never see me again." I could see the tears well up in Gran's eyes, but she needed to hear everything. "Is that what you want Gran? Do you want me to be someone's slave?"

She pulled me tight into her arms. "Of course I wouldn't baby girl. I'm so sorry Sookie. I know that you will do what's right."

"It's all right Gran." I hugged her tight until her tears dried up. "Everything is going to be all right Gran, I promise." She smiled at me, then I told her I had to get going to get my errands done before tonight.

I needed to pick up some boxes and other packing materials, I wanted to see if I could find a set of luggage for my clothes, then I had to go to Merlotte's to talk to Sam. I was dreading that conversation more than anything else that was going on in my life right now. Sam had been good friend and boss to me, but he'd also kept a huge secret from me and that hurt more than I ever imagined. If he had told me I wouldn't have felt so much like a freak.

I went to my room to put on my sneakers and grab my purse, when I realized my purse was too small for all the stuff that I would need to carry. I had my new phone which I grabbed out of the bag and as I looked at it, would be something else that I would need Eric to school me on, I also had my new car keys, my new house keys, my wallet, the money and credit card that Eric had given me, and the manila envelope where I could buy new work clothes. I would need a back pack if I had anymore stuff to carry.

I gathered everything up and took it with me to my room and set it onto my bed. I looked through my closet and the only I had that would work as a purse was a cloth beach bag. It wasn't the prettiest to look at, but it would do the job until I could get a new one.

I placed everything inside, put on my sneakers, let Gran know I was going and I was out the door. I got into my car and I loved being up so high off of the ground. It was kind of empowering and I liked it.

I set my bag on the passenger seat and was just about to start up the car when a work crew came driving towards me. I had no idea what this was about, so I got out of the car to find out.

The lead truck stopped and the foreman walked towards me. "Can I help you?"

"Are you Sookie Stackhouse?"

"Yes I am."

"My crew and I are here to re-gravel your driveway."

"We didn't order this."

"A Mr. Eric Northman place the order and paid for it."

Eric was definitely going overboard with everything, but it was very sweet and thoughtful anyway. A definite point in his favor in my book. "Do you need me to move the yellow car? I'm leaving so the SUV will be out of the way." And Gran's car was out on the back lawn where Jason was suppose to wash it and change the oil later today. Oh Shit Jason! I had to tell him about everything that was going on. There was no way that he was going to take this well, but I would think about that later.

"No need. We have also been paid to tow that car away for you."

"Oh." I hadn't thought about what I was going to do with my old car yet, but I guess that was okay. "What are you going to do with it?"

"It's going to the junk yard."

"Oh no! Isn't there some way that you could donate it to a needy family or some charity or something."

He looked at me for a moment and I was tempted to read his thoughts, but was trying to keep my shields up unless absolutely necessary. Plus I wasn't getting any bad feelings from this guy. "I can arrange that."

"Thank you very much. If you need anything my Gran, Adele Stackhouse is inside."

"Of course Miss Stackhouse." I ran in to tell Gran what was going on, then I was on my way.

My first stop was to the U-Haul place. I loaded up on boxes, packing tape and bubble wrap. I knew I had probably gotten more than I needed, but I'd rather have too much than not enough.

My next stop should have been to Merlotte's, but I wasn't ready to deal with that just yet. I knew that where I was headed next was a bit out of the way, but with my new car full of gas I couldn't help myself, so I made the long drive out to the Super Wal-Mart. Two times in one week, I was going to be spoiled if I kept this up.

I managed to find a parking spot fairly close and I as I locked the doors I noticed that there was also an alarm on my car. I didn't know how to work it, so I just locked the doors and went inside. I would have to ask Eric about that later as well.

I stopped short as I went to grab my cart. I would be seeing Eric tonight, or at least that is what he implied to me the night before, but where would we be meeting? Did he want to come over to the house or was I suppose to go to Fangtasia? I really wanted to see him tonight, but if he wanted me to work later this week I would need all my spare time to get settled and moved in. I wouldn't be able to focus well until I was settled in, but I would worry about that later.

I went through the store and actually found a very nice set of luggage. It had more that enough room for my clothes. I knew that I had what I had really come looking for, but I decided to look more. I needed more time.

I continued going up and down that aisles and I found quite a few more things for my new place. I found a nice set of pots and pans, a set of dishes with matching flatware, a set of tumbler glasses and a set of coffee mugs. I also picked out a coffee maker since I hadn't seen one in the kitchen and I needed coffee in the morning.

I knew that I was going to have to stock up on food for the new place, but I would worry about doing that another time. I did pick up dishwashing soap though. I could throw all of my new dishes in there to wash them, then they would be ready when I needed them.

I wandered a little bit more and found a new purse that would be plenty big enough to carry all my stuff. I also picked up paper and pens and a little notebook and pocket calendar to keep in my new purse. I was going to have to go through the whole house to make a list of everything that I would need.

When I'd stalled as long as I could, I made my way to the registers and paid for my things. I spent more than I ever had and it made me a bit nervous, but it was nice to have new things for my new home. That was still a bit surreal to me. I'd never had a place that had been mine before. It had always been either Momma and Daddy's or Gran's.

As I was loading my bags in my new car I thought about what I was going to tell Jason about what was going on with me. I had to warn him about not letting strangers in his house, but I didn't want to bring up the involvement of vampires. I wouldn't want him running off and getting himself bitten or killed. He gets into enough trouble on his own.

I was driving back to Bon Temps and I was dreading what I had to do. I was leaving Sam with no notice, but I had to do this for my own safety. That's what all of this was for. I would shine Eric's boots if it meant I would be safe and free.

I started thinking about Eric then and our kiss from the night before. Just that one kiss had set my whole being on fire. I wanted to do so much more than just kiss him, but maybe, for now at least, I could keep him happy with just kissing. I did enjoy just being close to him and the quiet that he offered me if the kissing was too much without going farther.

I was lost in my thoughts of the Viking and didn't notice when I had arrived at Merlotte's. My stomach was full of butterflies as I parked the car. No matter what I was about to say or do there were going to be hurt feelings, but there was nothing I could do about that. I took a deep breath and pulled up my big girl panties as I made my way inside.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N I would have had this posted last night, but FF didn't feel like cooperating. There's a bit going on, mostly Sookie's move so enjoy and let me know what you think! Reviews make me want to write more!

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><p>I was thankful that it was slow in Merlotte's today. I knew that this wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation, so the less people here to witness it the better in my opinion.<p>

I saw Sam working at the bar and I walked up to him with a smile on my face. I tried to make it my genuine smile, but I was nervous and pissed at the same time. Sam had kept a huge secret from me and I was hell bent on finding out why. "Hello Sam."

He looked up and smiled when he saw me. "Hey Sook. What's up?"

"I need to talk to you in private."

"Sure. Let's head to my office." I walked back towards his office and when Sam caught up next to me I heard him sniff me and the air around us changed in that moment. I wasn't sure what it was, but I knew that it wasn't good.

We were barely out of sight of the customers when Sam grabbed my arm and started dragging me to his office. "Sam, what in the hell are you doing."

He didn't answer right away, he just shoved me into his office and slammed the door behind him. "What the fuck have you done Sookie?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I can smell him all over you and I can smell that you drank his blood. Do you have a death wish getting involved with vampires?"

Now I was completely pissed off at him and his attitude. "You have no right yelling at me about what I do in my life SHIFTER!"

He stopped short as I called him that, but I could fell that he was still angry with what I had done. "What I am has nothing to do with you hanging around with vampires. They will just use you Sookie, for your blood and your telepathy if they find out about it. You have to stay away from them."

"It's a little late for that Sam." I told him all that I had learned in the last couple of days about the vampires and what Eric was willing to do for me to keep me safe. "So I'm taking the Sheriff's protection to keep from being dragged away to become a slave."

"What exactly does this 'protection' entail?"

In any other scenario I would have laughed at Sam using air quotes when he said protection, but I was too angry to laugh. "Well, for starters he has given me a beautiful place to stay in Shreveport."

"How are you going to get back and forth to work in that old car of yours?"

"He also bought me a new car, but I won't have to worry about a long trek to and from work anymore,"

"He's making you quit?"

"He's doing it for my safety. I'm going to be working for him at Fangtasia from now on."

"You really do have a death wish. They are going to ruin you in a place like that. It's not right for you to work there Sookie." He paused and took a step closer to me. "I could protect you Sookie. I would be so good to you and for you." He placed his hands on my face and I could see him leaning in to kiss me and I quickly pulled away.

"Sam Merlotte, what in the hell do you think you are doing?"

"Sookie, I love you. I have loved you since the first moment that you walked into my bar looking for a job. I could keep you safe and we could be together."

"You have lost your mind. You say you love me and yet you never said anything until somebody else comes into the pictures, but I want you to answer me one very important question. How the fuck do you, a shifter who had no real powers, expect to keep me safe from a Vampire Queen?"

"We could move away from here. We could get married and live somewhere where there are no vampires. We could have a family and a happy peaceful life that I know you have always wanted."

Now I couldn't stop the crazy laughter that escaped my lips. "You are completely insane. You want to keep me from one prison by putting me in another. I have never seen you as more than a boss and a friend Sam Merlotte and I certainly don't love you and I definitely don't want to marry you. And I'm not about to let you or anyone else take me away from the little bit of family that I have left." I took a deep breath to calm myself down, but it didn't work, so I did the one thing that I came here to do. "Sam, I quit, effective immediately." I turned and walked out the door without looking back.

I was almost to the door when I caught a thought that made me stop in my tracks. _I can't wait to get to that vampire bar and find another fangbanger to kill. Those vamps tried to take my Cindy, but I stopped her and I need to do the same for these other girls. They have to be stopped and I am the one to do it. _I caught images from the mind of what he was planning on doing and I had to force back the bile that was rising up in my throat. I glanced around the bar to see who was thinking these things and realized that these thoughts were coming from Arlene's ex-husband and current boyfriend Rene Lanier. He had his back to me, so I went outside as quick as I could and scrambled up into my car.

My mind was racing. Rene was going to kill someone! I couldn't let that happen. I pulled my iPhone out of my bag and looked at it trying to figure out how it worked. Somehow through pure dumb luck I found the phonebook and called Eric's cell. I knew that he wouldn't be awake yet, but I needed to let him know what was going to happen as soon as possible.

His phone went to voicemail and my whole body tingled hearing his voice, but I couldn't focus on that now. "Hi Eric, it's Sookie and I know that you aren't going to be up for awhile, but I needed to tell you that a man is going to be coming to your bar tonight and he is going to look for a fangbanger to kill. I don't know when he is going to be there, but we have to stop him." I told Eric his name and gave him Rene's description in case he had a fake ID or didn't have a reason to show his ID. "Please be careful and call me when you wake up." I wanted to say more like I miss you and I really need to see you tonight, but that wasn't important now.

I disconnected the call and tossed my phone back in my back. I took a couple of deep breaths before starting up my car and heading back to Gran's house.

I was scared for the woman that Rene was going to go after. I was scared thinking about how many other women he had murdered. I was scared that something terrible was going to happen to Eric. All these things were going through my head, but I couldn't let these things take over my mind. It would just get me even more riled up, so I pushed them all aside for now so I could focus on moving into my new house.

It didn't take me long to turn onto the newly graveled driveway. I could see that the workers were already gone for the day. I looked at my clock and I saw that it was already after two in the afternoon. My stomach rumbled at that moment and I was amazed I could think about food after what I'd seen, but I would need my strength to pack.

I parked out front since it was closer to my room than the back door and I saw that Gran was sitting on the porch swing with her knitting and a glass of sweet tea. I got out and went around to the back to start unloading my boxes. "Hey Gran."

"Hi Dear. Didn't they do a wonderful job on the driveway?"

"They did Gran. I wouldn't expect anything less from Eric."

"He's very kind. When do I get to meet him?"

I had my arms full of boxes and Gran had kindly grabbed my other packing material as we went inside. "Well Gran, I don't know when you'll get to meet him, but there is something very important that I need to tell you, but I need you to promise that you won't say anything to anyone about this."

"Does this have anything to do with why Sam Merlotte called all frantic to talk to you a few minutes ago?"

"No, Sam's just upset that I quit and he doesn't think what I'm doing is right for me. I don't want to talk about it right now." I wished that I could forget all about that uncomfortable conversation, but I decided to just push it aside as we walked into my room. "Gran, I found a murderer at Merlotte's when I was there."

"Oh my Lord! Sookie, who is it?"

"It's Rene." I set my boxes down on my bed and focused on Gran as I told her the abridged version of what I'd heard. "It was so horrible Gran."

"Sookie, you need to call Bud Dearborn and let him know what it happening so he can stop it."

"Gran, I don't have any physical evidence that I can give. I heard it in his head. I know that he's going to be at Eric's bar tonight and Eric will find out what's going on and stop him." My growling stomach stopped any more conversation between us.

"You get to your packing and I'll go fix you some lunch."

"Thanks Gran." I turned on my little boom box to some country music as I started putting my boxes together and filling them up. Gran dropped of a sandwich, chips and a sweet tea a few minutes later and I ate as I packed. It didn't take me long to pack everything that I wanted to take with me. I fit everything, but my clothes into three boxes. I could probably get settled sooner than I thought.

After I finished eating I carried my boxes outside and brought my luggage inside. I laid them out on my bed and I rushed to get all of my clothes packed. For some reason I had the overwhelming need to spend the night in my new home. I didn't feel safe her in a house that I had been in since I was a little girl. I wanted to be in Shreveport before dark. Just thinking about being closer to Eric made me feel safer/

When I finished with my clothes I took my suitcases out to my car and took my new purse and the pen and paper I'd bought back to my room. I went through the papers that Bobby had given me and wrote down my address, home number and my cell phone number for Gran to have.

I packed everything into my new purse and made my way out to the porch where Gran was still sitting. She looked up at me as I stepped outside and she knew I was leaving for good. I could see the tears welling in her eyes. I tried to hold back my own tears as I sat down next to her. "Gran, it's okay. This will do us both good." I handed her my new information. "Here is my address and phone numbers. You can call me and visit me anytime you want."

"What about Jason?"

I'd forgotten about Jason with everything that was going on today. I was ready to deal with him another day, until I saw his truck coming up the driveway. I really didn't want to deal with him now, but I didn't have a choice as he parked his truck next to my new car, got out and made his way towards us. "Hey Gran, Sook. Who's car?"

"It's mine Jason."

"Where did you get the money for a ride like this?"

I had no idea what to tell him, but I didn't have to. Gran did it for me. "All you need to know Jason Stackhouse is that your sister has come into some good luck. She's gotten a new and better job in Shreveport. She had a nice place to live and a nice car as part of the package, so now you are going to have to keep a closer eye on your old Gran." I smiled over at Gran for making this easy on me. "Now your sister has to be on her way." I went over and gave Gran a big hug. "You call me when you get settled in."

"I will. Thank you Gran."

"Your welcome Sweetheart."

"Bye Gran." I pulled away from her and raced past Jason to my car. "Bye Jason." I got in before he could ask me any questions. As I pulled away, I realized that I didn't feel as bad as I thought I would leaving home. I knew that Gran was safe and that I was doing what I had to do and I was okay with that.

I followed the directions Bobby had left me and I felt a peace come over me as I pulled into my new driveway. I opened the garage door and backed in to easily unload my things.

I brought my boxes inside, but I left them in the living room. I didn't have the energy right now to carry them upstairs. I left my suitcases down here as well, then I took my new dishes and things into the kitchen. I loaded up the dishwasher and got that started, then set up my new coffee maker.

As I was doing that I realized that I was going to need to go to the grocery store. I would have rather taken a nice hot bath to relax before I had to unpack, but that would have to wait.

I got out my paper and pen and made a list of the necessities that I was going to need. It was a lot longer than I expected, but it was all stuff that I was going to need. It was only a little after six, so I had at least two hours before dark, so that would be plenty of time to get what I needed.

I was lucky there was a Save-A-Lot not to far away, so it didn't take me long to get there. I went up and down the aisles and got everything that I needed, plus some. I got the essentials; bread, butter, milk, coffee, sugar, plus eggs, bacon and a couple of boxes of cereal for breakfast. I also picked up some lunch meats and cheese, mayo and mustard, some frozen dinners that were on sale, some pre-made fruit salad, a couple of bottles of soda, orange juice, a frozen pizza for dinner and a six pack of True Blood in case Eric stopped by later.

I headed for the front of the store and I couldn't stop myself from checking out the books and magazines. I found a couple of cooking magazines that looked interesting and that I could share with Gran when I was done with them, and I also picked out a couple of romance novels. I also noticed the book that I had checked out of the library that I'd left behind and hadn't finished. I'd have to call Gran and ask if she could return them for me. I'd also have to find where the local library was so I could get a card when I had the chance.

I got in line and loaded all my items on the conveyor belt and I couldn't help picking out a big pack of spearmint gum and a king sized Twix bar. I paid for everything and headed out to the car.

As I was loading everything I realized that I didn't get any toiletries or paper products. I didn't want to go back into the grocery store, but I was lucky that there was a pharmacy right next door. I locked up the car, took care of my car and headed in.

I picked up shampoo, soap, toilet paper, paper towels, a tooth brush, toothpaste, mouth wash, tampons and a giant bottle of lavender bubble bath that was on sale. I was desperate to relax later on.

I went back out to the car with my purchases and I was quickly on my way home. The sky was starting to darken and I was getting a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I was worried that something terrible was going to happen to Eric. I knew that was unlikely, but I knew that I would feel better once I saw or heard from him.

I got back home, backed into the garage and closed the door behind me. I hoped that I would be in for the night, but I new that if Eric needed anything from me I would be out of her in a heart beat.

I brought everything inside and put away all of my groceries. I put my books, magazines, candy bar and gum in with my toiletries to take upstairs with me, then I put away most of the dishes. I found that there wasn't a utensil caddy, so that was the first thing I added to the list of things that I would need for the house.

I went through the kitchen, the downstairs bathroom and the laundry room to see what I needed. Just this floor of the house filled up an entire notebook page. Maybe I could get Eric to go with me and help me pick out everything that I would need. I looked out the window and saw that it was full dark outside now. I quickly checked my phone and he hadn't called yet. I didn't worry yet. He probably had things he had to take care of before he could call me.

I slid my phone in my pocket and decided to fix something to eat. I had a bowl of fruit instead of the pizza I had picked out. I didn't feel like waiting for it to cook. I also had a glass of soda, then I put my dishes in the dishwasher and decided to just get it over with and bring my stuff upstairs.

I knew as I went upstairs that I should stay in one of the guest rooms, but I had a feeling that I would be safer in the master bedroom. I felt closer to Eric as I stepped inside and I liked that feeling very much.

It took four trips for me to get everything upstairs. I really wanted to relax now, but it would be more satisfying when I had everything put away.

Two of the boxes where filled with mementoes and stuffed animals that was kind of silly, so I put those off to the side. I went to put my suitcases on the bed and I noticed that it was still all ruffled from where Eric and I had been jumping up and down the night before. I couldn't stop a smile from spreading across my face, but as I thought about Eric I realized that he couldn't even come into his own house anymore. I didn't like that thought, so I decided to remedy that. I didn't know if this would work or not, but I was going to do it anyway. "Eric Northman, wherever you are, I invite you into my home." I felt better after doing that.

I opened my suitcases and started putting my clothes away. I noticed that he had cleared out the dresser for me and that made me smile. I wonder if he was thinking about me half as much as I was thinking about him. I checked my phone and still no call. I pushed my disappointment away.

I went to the closet hoping he had hangers for the few nice things that I had to hang up. I found that he had a huge walk in closet and that wasn't what surprised me the most. He had cleared half of the closet for me and left me plenty of hangers. I pushed back the happy tears and continued with my task.

When all my clothes and shoes were put away and I slid the two boxes into the back of the closet I went and got my first glimpse of the bathroom. I stopped short when I walked inside. The bathroom was almost as big as the bedroom. There was a huge walk in shower that could fit at least a have a dozen people and had more showerheads than I had ever seen, but that wasn't what held my attention. The tub that looked more like a small pool was what held my attention. There were jets and a detachable showerhead and I knew I was in heaven.

I quickly put away all of my toiletries and started filling up the tub. I added lots of bubble bath and just the smell helped me relax. This was going to be very enjoyable.

I grabbed my Viking book, set that and my phone on the edge of the tub, took off my clothes and noticing that I would need to pick up a hamper and slid into the bubble filled water.

I felt like a princess with this small amount of luxury. I turned the jets on, and I just laid my head back and cleared my mind. My book was forgotten for now and just focused on relaxing. I should have been focused on my surroundings so that I wouldn't have been surprised when I heard a deep voice close to my ear say, "Hello Sookie."


	9. Chapter 9

A/N I am going to make this short and sweet since i would like to go to sleep now. LEMONS! Leave me some love and let me know what you think.

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><p>I screamed bloody murder and splashed about a gallon of water all over the floor and Eric. "Oh my God Eric, what are you doing up here in the bathroom?"<p>

"Well, I was going to knock, but I noticed that there was no barrier keeping me out, so I took that as an invitation to come in."

"It didn't feel right not letting you be able to come into your own house."

"Technically it's your house now. I filed the paperwork with my lawyer earlier. If I hadn't had to do that I would have been here sooner."

"Eric, did you get my message earlier?"

He crouched down next to the tub so that we were eye level. "Yes I did and he is being detained in the basement of Fangtasia as we speak."

"Are you going to kill him?"

"I was hoping you could get some information out of him first, but that was what I was planning to do."

"What kind of information will you need me to look for?"

"How many others he has done this to, does he have an accomplice, does he have any evidence that connect him to the crimes that he kept as souvenirs." He paused and looked into my eyes. "Would it upset you for me to kill him?"

"If you had asked me that yesterday I would have answered yes without a doubt."

"What has changed since then?"

"I got a glimpse inside that man's head and in that moment I saw the things that he had done and the things that he was planning to do to me just for being in Fangtasia made me sick to my stomach. Rene is not a man, he's a monster for what he has done."

"Sookie, if you don't want to read his mind again I won't force you to."

"It's all right Eric. I'm the only one that can find out exactly what he's done. I want to do this. Do you need me to do it tonight? I just need to…" I dropped my eyes down and I just realized that we had been having this whole conversation while I was sitting naked in the bathtub! "Oh my God!" I pulled the bubbles close to me to make sure that I was at least partially covered. "Eric, you need to get out of here. I am in the tub!"

I looked over at him just as he picked up my book. He had it out of my reach before I could grab it. "I wouldn't want to interrupt your reading." He took a closer look at the cover and raised his sexy eyebrow as he looked at me. "Do you have a thing for tall, blonde, Vikings Sookie?"

I wanted to say yes and tell him to get his Viking ass in here with me, but I couldn't. "I just picked it so that I would have something to read, that's all."

He set my book down and leaned in closer to me resting his arms on the edge of the tub. "My bullshit meter is reading that as false."

I ignored his words and changed the subject. "Eric, your shirt is soaking wet. Why don't you go and put on a dry shirt while I get out of the tub."

I watched him stand up to his full 6'4" height and I expected him to leave the room, but he just stood there and removed his shirt. My jaw dropped at the sight and I couldn't take my eyes off of him. His chest looked like marble with light blonde tufts of hair that I wanted to run my fingers through. I hadn't even realized that I'd moved closer to him until my knees came into contact with the side of the tub.

I had my hand up ready to touch him when I realized what I was doing and quickly tried to pull it away, but he grabbed it before he could. He knelt down next to the tub and placed my hand over where his heart should have been beating. "You are curious. Please feel free to explore to your heart's content."

I should have pulled my hand away, but I just couldn't make myself do it. His chest was hard as marble and smooth as silk. I couldn't stop from lifting my other hand out of the water and running both hands over every inch of his chest. It felt so good to touch him, but I wanted more. "Kiss me." It was barely more than a whisper, but he heard me and before I could react his lips were on mine.

I slid my arms around his neck and tangled my fingers in his silky, blonde hair. He pulled me against his bare chest and I could feel my nipples harden against his cool flesh.

I could feel his hands resting on my back, but I wanted them to roam over my body, but that just wasn't right. _Sookie, take pleasure from the Viking and give him pleasure in return. You will know what to do and when you should stop_. Hearing Nessa's voice in my head gave me the courage that I needed in that moment.

I pulled away from Eric's kiss to catch my breath and he continued to kiss down my neck. "Eric, I'm not ready to have sex yet, but you said we could work something out. Right now I would really like to work something out." I had barely finished speaking when I was pulled out of the tub.

It didn't matter to Eric that I was dripping wet with bath water, he tossed me gently onto the bed and my Viking was quickly on top of me. I knew that he wasn't technically mine, but I wanted him to be, I knew that he was going to be.

He kept most of his weight on his elbows on either side of my body so not to crush me, but the parts of him that were touching me I enjoyed feeling very much. The feel of him pressed against me made my whole body come to life.

He was kissing his way down my neck to my breasts which he kissed and paid special attention to. His tongue was rough and demanding on my tender skin, but I didn't care. I wanted, needed to feel close to him and I was loving every minute of it.

He paid equal attention to each breast before working his way further down south. He swirled his tongue around my belly button, then started his licking his way down to where I wanted him most of all. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes waiting for him to touch me between my thighs, but he skipped over that part. Instead he trailed his lips, tongue and fangs over my thighs. That was still enough to send chills of pleasure through me, but I needed him to touch me. "Eric, please, I need more of your touch."

"Where do you want me to touch you Lover?"

The sound of him calling me lover sent a wonderful, pleasurable thrill through me. I'd heard enough from people's minds over the years to know what he wanted me to say and I decided not to be shy about what I wanted from my Viking. I was spread out for his pleasure and my own and I was going to get it. "My pussy Eric, I want you to touch my pussy." The words were barely out of my mouth when I felt his fingers sliding back and forth through my wet folds becoming coated with my juices.

I arched my back against his touches. I had never felt anything so incredible in my life. I hoped that it would never stop, when suddenly it did. My eyes snapped open and I looked down at him. He was smiling at me and I was getting beyond frustrated with him. "Why did you stop?"

"I want you to watch me Lover. I want you to watch what I'm going to do to you." I did as he told me to and I watched as he put his thumb on my clit and rubbed it at vampire speed. I arched my back and pressed harder into his touch, but I kept looking into his eyes. They were full of lust and hunger. I wanted to give him everything that he wanted, but hopefully what I was offering now would be enough.

I could feel the pleasure building up inside of me and it was more incredible than anything that I had ever felt before in my life. "Oh yes Eric, that feels so good. Don't stop, please don't stop."

"I'll never stop Lover." I felt him slip a finger inside of me and that was enough to send me over the edge. My whole body clenched with my release, then I started trembling as he pulled his hand away. "Are you all right Lover?"

"I'm wonderful."

"Good, because I'm not done with you yet." He slid his hands down my legs and brought them up over his shoulders, then traced his fingertips back up to my thighs. I looked down at him between my legs and watched as he used his tongue to touch and stimulate my clit. It felt even better than his fingers had.

I reached down and buried my fingers in his hair. I pulled him even closer and I could feel him smile and speed up his movements even more. "Oh my God!" I could feel the pleasure building inside of me again and I wanted it more than I wanted my next breath. "Oh Eric, I'm so close. Don't stop, don't ever stop." He sped up his ministrations even faster and I was soon coming even harder than before.

I collapsed down on the bed panting and sweaty, but feeling completely blessed out. Eric laid down beside me and pulled me up into his arms. I laid my head on his chest and it felt so right being in his arms.

After a few minutes of letting the feeling return to my limbs, I knew that it was time I returned Eric's very generous gift of pleasure. I let my hand roam over the plains of his chest, then down to the zipper of his soft, leather pants. I went to unzip them and see if I could pleasure him as well as he did me, but his hand on my stopped me. "Sookie, Lover, you don't have to do that."

I leaned in and trailed feather light kisses all over his gorgeous chest. "I want to. Please Eric, I want to touch you, make you feel as good as you made me feel." I slid my finger around the edge of his pants. "Please." I looked up into his eyes pleading for him to accept my touch.

I felt him pull away from me and get off the bed. I dropped my head not wanting to see him leave or for him to see the humiliation on my face. I was trying to fight back tears that were threatening to fall, when I felt Eric get back on the bed beside me. I looked down at him and he was completely naked! Cheese and rice was he big everywhere. "Do with me as you wish Lover, I am here for your pleasure."

I smiled at him as I licked my lips. The fact that this vampire sheriff was willing to be my plaything for the evening was a total turn on. I hoped that I could give him as much pleasure as he gave to me.

I got up on my knees and settled myself between his legs. I couldn't take my eyes of his…gracious plenty. Yeah that was a very good name for it. I gingerly wrapped my hand around him and slowly stroked him up and down. Eric was moaning under my attentions already and it make me feel good, so I kept going.

I watched as fluid started to see out of the tip and I couldn't resist it, I leaned down and licked the tip. I don't know what I was expecting but what tasted was much better and I wanted more.

I had seen this done in women's minds before, so I went with that and my own instincts. I treated gracious plenty like a dripping popsicle. I ran my tongue over every inch before taking it into my mouth. I couldn't take all of him, but his moans and his fingers that were now buried in my hair proved that I was doing something right. What I couldn't fit into my mouth I stroked with my hands.

Most women had thought this was a disgusting act, but I thought that it was empowering. Eric was writhing and moaning under my touch and I loved it very much. I wanted to do this to him for as long as possible, but I could feel him grow harder and I knew that he was getting close. "Lover I'm so close. I am going to cum. You need to stop." I don't know why he would want me to stop, but there was no way that I was going to. I was desperate to taste all of him and nothing was going to stop me from doing just that.

I increased my movements and I could feel his whole body tense under my touch. I took him as deep as I could in my mouth and I could feel him explode against the back of my throat. I quickly drank up every drop and licked him clean.

I wanted to spend some more time playing with gracious plenty, but Eric had other ideas. He pulled me up in his arms and kissed me deeply and passionately until I was utterly breathless. "Lover are you sure that you are a novice when it comes to sex. That was the best blow job I have had in centuries."

I couldn't help but smile at his complement. "I've never done anything like this before, but I enjoyed it very much." I let my hand wander over the plains of his chest and even lower. I wouldn't mind doing it again anytime that you'd like."

I glance up at him and he was smiling down at me. "I think that I have created a monster. I can only imagine what you will be like when we actually have sex."

I smiled at that thought. "I will probably never let you out of this bed." I moved higher up on the bed and slid my arms around his neck, "I don't think that I could ever get enough of you." I leaned in and kissed him. I could feel that he was growing hard again and all I could think was 'Ooo, I get to play again', but that's not what Eric had in mind.

"Lover we need to stop." He pulled away and I watched as he stood up and my mouth dropped open again. I got the first glimpse of Eric's form from the back and all I could think was yikes, yahoo, yum. He had the most amazing ass that I had ever seen, not that I've ever seen one up close and personal, but I was pretty sure that his was the best looking ever. I couldn't stop myself from reaching out and grabbing it with both hands. I just couldn't control myself around him at all. Oh the skin was so soft and I could feel his muscles flexing under my touch. I looked up ant he was looking at me with that damn sexy eyebrow, "Found something you like Lover?"

"Uh-huh. Is it wrong that I want to nibble on your ass right now?"

"Usually no." He pulled my hands away and I whined as he put his pants back on. He turned back towards me and pulled the sheet from the bed around my body. "I would love nothing more than to let you explore and nibble my body to your heart's content, but since you are not ready to have sex with me yet, and I would never force myself on a woman, we need to stop for now. We have done enough for tonight."

"You didn't drink from me. I don't want you to go hungry." I pushed my hair back and bared my neck to him. "Please drink from me." I don't know why I was practically begging him, but I knew that I would feel better once he drank from me.

"Of course I will drink from you. Who am I to turn down such a treat." He gently caressed my neck and I could feel it all the way to my toes. He leaned close and ran his nose along my neck taking in my scent. He placed several kisses on my neck before he slowly and gently slid his fangs into me. I expected it to hurt more, but all I felt was a slight sting. It was actually quite pleasurable having him drink from me.

He only took a couple of mouthfuls before he started to pull away, but I wanted him to take more. I grabbed his hair and held him to my neck. "I want you to take all that you need. You need a full belly to stay strong and protect me. I want to take care of all of your needs as you take care of mine."

He took a few more mouthfuls before pulling away, "That's more than enough Lover. You don't want me to become a glutton do you?"

"No, of course not." A yawn escaped my lips then." "Excuse me. It's been a long day."

He slid his arms around me and moved me so that I was laying down on the bed. "You need to sleep. We can talk more tomorrow."

He turned to leave, but I didn't want him go. I grabbed his hand to stop him from leaving. "Eric, don't go. Will you stay with me for awhile? Please?"

"All right Lover." He climbed back into bed and I curled up against his chest with my arms around him and his arms around me and I was fast asleep in seconds.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N I know that this chapter is fairly short. but I feel that the chapter stands better on it's own. There is reference to abuse, just to warn you. Let me know what you think. I love your reviews and they make me write more.

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><p>I knew that I was dreaming, but this was my worst nightmare that I had not had to endure for many years and I thought that I would never have to again. I was a little girl again in Gran's house, but she wasn't there and neither was Jason. I was alone with Uncle Bartlett and I was terrified. I was curled up in Gran's room and trying to hide and block out his black thoughts of what he wanted to do to me, but it was useless.<p>

I wished that Gran was there, that Jason or Momma and Daddy were there. I wished that I was strong enough to fight back, but I wasn't. Bartlett was getting closer and my anxiety and panic were growing. I wanted to run, but I was frozen where I was.

I watched as he appeared at the door and I could see that creepy smile spread across his face. I could feel the tears streaming down my face and I couldn't stop them. "No, please Uncle Bartlett, please don't do this." He stepped closer to me and I started screaming, "No, please don't Uncle Bartlett. NOOOOOOOOO!"

"Sookie wake up. Lover you are having a nightmare and you need to wake up now." I slowly opened my eyes and looked up into the concerned eyes of the man that had pulled me from my personal hell. "Are you all right?"

"I am now." I threw my arms around his neck and nuzzled close to him. "I had a bad dream."

"You were talking in your sleep. You were talking about somebody named Bartlett. Who is this Bartlett?"

I was afraid to tell him about Uncle Bartlett until I heard Nessa's voice in my mind. _You need to tell him and except the consequences._ I didn't know what consequences she was talking about, but I knew that I had to tell him. "The Bartlett I was talking about is my Uncle Bartlett Hale. He's my Gran's brother." I paused and took a deep breath before I continued. "He was always really touchy feely with me when nobody was around. At first I thought it was like when Gran was hugging and touching me, but I could see in his mind that this was different, that it was wrong."

"What about your parents? Couldn't they stop him?"

"They didn't believe me when it first started happening, then they were killed in a flash flood when I was seven. My brother Jason and I went to live with Gran and Uncle Bartlett would come over every Sunday after church for supper. He would always somehow get me alone in a room and brush his hands over my body where he wasn't suppose to be touching me.

"One Sunday Jason and his friend Hoyt were down at the pond about half a mile in back of our property and Gran needed to run to the store for milk so she could finish fixing supper." The tears were streaming down my face and I couldn't stop my body from trembling at the horrible memories that I was reliving in my mind that I had never wanted to think about again. Eric was caressing my hair and holding me close in his arms and that gave me the courage to continue my story. "After Gran had left I heard what Uncle Bartlett was going to do to me now that we would be alone for awhile. He was going to rape me." The sobs took over my body in that moment and I was shaking even more. I forced myself to calm down so that I could finish my story.

"I went into Gran's room hoping that he wouldn't find me before she came back, but I couldn't stop crying then and he heard me. He came in the room and I could hear loud and clear what he was going to do to me and I was so frightened. I tried to make myself as small as possible, but it didn't hide me from him. He came over to me, pulled me up off the floor, and pushed me face down onto the bed. I wanted to fight him off, but even though he was an old man even back then, he was still stronger than my nine-year-old self was.

"I also didn't fight because that was what he wanted me to do. He also enjoyed my tears, but that wasn't something that I could stop. I was so lost in what was happening to me I didn't hear Gran come back into the house having forgotten her purse. She heard me crying and she walked in just as he had pulled my pants down, but before he could go any further." I could feel Eric tense up at my words. I could feel my tears flow even faster as I was getting to the end of my story.

"Gran screamed bloody murder asking him what he was doing to me. She came at him and hit him over and over. It was one of the few times I have ever heard her swear. She chased him out to the living room and I heard her pull out Granddaddy's shotgun and she calked it as she told him to get out and never come back again and he never did."

I watched Eric through blurry eyes as he went into the bathroom and brought me a roll of toilet paper so that I could wipe my eyes and blow my nose. I watched him as I did that waiting for him to get back into bed with me, but he didn't. I watched as he got dressed and I felt my heart sink. I didn't want him to go. "Are you going somewhere? I thought that you could stay a little while longer."

"There is something urgent that I must take care of tonight." He was tense I could see that he was almost ripping his clothes as he was putting them on.

As he headed for the door I got a very bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I pulled the sheet tighter around me and followed him. "Eric, please tell me where you are going?"

He didn't look at me as he spoke. "You do not need to know. Go back to sleep. You have had a very trying day. I will see you tomorrow night." He was out the bedroom door, but I couldn't let him leave.

"Eric, please. I have a bad feeling about what you are about to do, whatever that is. Please don't leave."

He turned towards me and I could see the anger on his face, but I knew that he wasn't angry at me. "You were the one who came to me. I'm doing what I have to do to protect you. Remember that." I watched him race downstairs at vampire speed. I followed him realizing what he was going to do.

I made it out the door just as he took to the sky. "Eric, Eric come back. Please don't do this." I looked around and he was long gone. I wanted to go after him and get him to come back here with me, but I knew that he was faster than me and I wouldn't be able to find him in time to stop him. No matter what I did, tonight my Uncle Bartlett was going to die.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N This story is seriousl consuming me. Everyone loves it and i just can't stop writing it. i feel bad neglecting my other three babies, but when the muse speaks, i can't get her to shut up so enjoy and leave me some love, it just makes me want to write more!

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><p>I went back into the house and started pacing the living room. The last thing that I had wanted was for Eric to go on a killing spree after hearing my story tonight. This was not what I wanted at all. I needed to talk to somebody, to figure out what was going on. I needed to talk to Nessa. "Nessa, please if you can hear me, I need to talk to you." I felt silly talking to myself in an empty house, but I was desperate. Luckily it paid off. <em>Sookie, go up to bed and fall asleep and I will meet you in your dreams.<em>

I grabbed my purse incase my phone rang and went upstairs. I set it down on the dresser and curled up into the bed. My nerves were on edge so I had no idea how I was going to fall asleep, but surprisingly it didn't take me long at all. I was dreaming, but I was still her in bed with Nessa sitting beside me and looking down at me. "I told you there would be consequences for you to accept."

"Having Eric murder someone was not what I had in mind. If I had known I would have never told him."

"You had to tell him. It will bring you closer together."

"How am I suppose to grow closer to a man who is about to kill my Uncle?"

"Sookie, you need to understand that Eric is taking his role as your protector very seriously. Your Uncle hurt you in a way that no man should ever hurt a child. He is doing what he know in his gut is right."

"How can murdering an old man be right?"

"Sookie, did your Uncle hurt you?"

"Yes."

"Did he frighten you?"

"Yes."

"Does what he did to you still effect you to this day?"

"Yes."

"Are you afraid, even after all these years, that he could somehow come and still hurt you even though he is an old man?"

I could feel the tears rolling down my cheeks. That had always been my biggest fear. I knew that it was next to impossible that that could actually happen, but it had always been there in the back of my mind. "Yes."

"How do you think that you will feel when you know that he is no longer around?"

That was another thing that I had thought about the older he'd gotten. It was as if I was waiting to hear that he was dead and I could release this ball of worry and tension that I was carrying around inside of me. "Safe."

"Does anything else make you feel safe?"

I answered that question without even thinking about it. "Eric. I barely know him, but he makes me feel safe."

"Knowing what he's going to do, does that make you feel any different about him?"

I stopped and thought about that for a moment. I knew, without being told, that Eric had killed before. Being alive for that long and being a vampire, it was just part of the package and he didn't have a choice in some instances. What was one more body added to that count. That man was blood, but he hadn't been family for a very long time. He had hurt me and my cousin Hadley, maybe even my Aunt Linda and who knows how man others. This man didn't deserve to live. He deserved to suffer like he made others suffer and if Eric needed to do this to protect me I would let him and I wouldn't let it bother me. "No, I don't feel different about him. Bartlett deserves what's coming to him."

Nessa smiled at me and pulled me in for a hug. "That's my girl. This will make things so much better for you and your Viking."

"Is he going to have to kill more people?"

"A few at least, but it's only to keep you safe. You just need to remember that and know that he cares for you very much even now, he just is too stubborn to realize it yet, but he will."

"I'm starting to care for him too. I wish that he would come back."

"You will get your wish, but not how you think. It's time for you to wake up now."

I felt pulled out of my dream and I instantly sat up in bed. I opened my mind to see if anyone was in the house or close by. I was alone, but not for long. I looked over at the clock and it was already after three o'clock in the morning. I had been asleep for hours, but it had only felt like a few minutes.

I got out of bed, put on a tank top and shorts and went downstairs to the kitchen. I fixed myself a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice. I ate quickly, then put my dishes in the sink. I didn't know what to do with myself now. I had a very bad feeling in the pit of my stomach and I didn't know what to do.

I started pacing the living room trying to will Eric to come back, but it just wasn't working. I was about to go back upstairs and try to go back to sleep when I heard a loud crash coming from the front door. I ran over and threw the door open. "Oh my God! Eric!" He was in a heap on the ground covered in cuts and bruises that weren't healing and covered in blood. I looked around and opened my mind to listen for any trouble, but there wasn't anyone nearby.

I knelt down next to him and brushed the hair out of his face. He had what looked like net marks burned on his face. I could see the same marks on his neck and part of his arms. He looked paler than normal and I knew that it wasn't good that he wasn't healing. I saw a tear on his arm that had trail of blood running down his arm and I knew that it was drainers that had attacked him.

I stood up and gently dragged him inside and curse myself for not picking up any first aid supplies. That would be the first thing I picked up when I went shopping. I got him into the kitchen and wet some paper towels to try to clean him up some.

I knelt down next to him resting his head in my lap and gently wiped the blood away from his face and he groaned under my touch. "Eric, can you hear me? Talk to me Baby please."

"I can hear you. Why did you just call me baby? I'm not an infant."

"It's a term of endearment. Now what the hell happened to you?"

"I got distracted. It won't happen again."

"Eric, I'm not stupid. You were attacked by drainers, weren't you?"

"Yes." He wouldn't look up at me.

"Are you going to elaborate or should I just leave you here to bleed all over my floor?"

"They caught me off guard. I was lost in my own thoughts and they came at me from behind. I tried to get away, but I didn't have an open opportunity until they had a significant amount of my blood drained."

No wonder he wasn't healing. I automatically put my wrist to his mouth. "You need to drink."

He pushed my arm away. "No. I will take to much. I need more than you can give me right now."

"You need it. Bite me."

"No. Call Pam. She can bring me some bagged blood."

"You are a stubborn son of a bitch." I ran upstairs to my purse and carried my cell phone downstairs as I scrolled for Pam's number and called her. She picked up on the very first ring.

"WHAT!"

Well isn't she pleasant. "Pam, it's Sookie."

"I don't have time to talk. Something had happened…"

"Pam, he's here with me."

"Is he all right?"

"He was attacked by drainers. He needs blood, but he won't take mine. He wants you to bring him some bagged blood."

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes." She hung up before I could say anything else. I tucked my phone in my pocked and went back into the kitchen.

Eric was sitting up against the counter wiping more blood off of himself. "Pam's on her way. Are you going to take some of my blood now so we can get you upstairs or are you going to continue to be a stubborn asshole?"

"I will not take your blood and I can make it upstairs."

"Well at least let me help you." I bent down to help him up, but he pushed me away.

"NO! I can do it myself." He did manage to get to his feet, but he could barely stand up. I went to help him again, but he pushed me away again. "No, I am quite capable of walking on my own."

"Is it the vampire, the Viking, or the male part of you that is so fucking stubborn?" He didn't answer me, so I locked my arms around his waist before he could push me away again and helped him to the stairs. "If you're like this all of the time you are the one who is going to need protection from me because I will kick your butt Buddy."

"I think I like baby better."

"Oh suck it up or I'll throw you down the stairs." He stayed quiet as I led him upstairs and into the master bedroom. "Let's get you out of these bloody clothes before you get in bed."

"Lover, if you wanted me naked in bed, all you had to do was ask."

"As tempting as that is Viking, you are in no shape to be of any use to me right now."

"I'm sure that we could figure something out."

"I'm doing all the work as it is. Just let it go." I helped him out of his bloody clothes, then found him a pair of sleep pants to put on. He managed to get them on by himself while I managed to keep my ogling to a minimum. I got him situated in bed when the doorbell ran. I reached out with my telepathy and found a void at that door. "That must be Pam. Do you want her to come up and check on you?"

"NO! I don't want her to see me like this. Don't even invite her inside." I thought that that was rude, but he was injured and I wasn't about to argue with him.

I went downstairs and opened the door to find Pam pacing the porch, holding a cooler that I assumed was full of donor blood. "Hi Pam."

She stopped pacing and stood in front of me. "How is he? Is he all right? Invite me in so I can see him for myself."

"I can't do that Pam."

"Why not?"

"He doesn't want you to see him the way he is."

"Is he in that bad a shape?"

"It's more his pride that is in bad shape. He was clipped from behind and he's being all 'I can take care of myself, I don't need anybody's help'."

"You do know that I can hear you up here, right?"

"Damn vampire hearing."

"Well, it seems like he is going to be just fine." She handed me the cooler of blood and took of into the night.

"Well goodbye to you too." I closed and looked the door behind me. I was about to head upstairs when I realized the blood was cold. "Eric, do you want me to heat up the blood for you?"

"No, the pain is starting to get very uncomfortable. I'll just drink it cold."

Now I felt like shit. I was being bitchy when my protector was still in pain. I ran upstairs, into the room and jumped on the bed with the cooler. "I'm sorry." I pulled out a bag of blood. "Do you need a glass or something?"

"This is fine." I watched as his fangs popped out and he punctured a hole in it and drank from it like a juice box. I found it funny and as strange as it sounds, kind of sexy too. I wished that it was my neck that he was sucking on instead, but if he wanted to be a stubborn, so be it.

After his third bag of blood he was fully healed, but he still looked paler than he should. As he reached for a forth bag I stopped him. I moved the cooler and curled up next to him. I pulled my hair away and offered him my neck. "Please drink from me Eric."

"No, I'm fine now."

"Eric, you are still paler than you should be. Please drink from me." He was tense next and I wanted to ease that tension. "I'm not angry with you for what you did tonight." He looked down at me and I continued. "I understand why you did it and I'm glad that you did it. I couldn't be angry or upset with you if I tried."

He pulled me tighter against him, but he didn't bite me. "I thought that you would be furious with my actions this evening. What changed your mind?"

"I slept on it and my dream helped me to rationalize and understand what you were doing. You're protecting me and I'm grateful for everything that you have done and will do for me." I looked into his eyes and stroked his now healed cheek. "Will you drink now please?"

He traced a finger gently up and down my neck. "Why are you being nice to me after what I've done? I know that you say you understand why I did what I did it, but that doesn't mean you should be kind to me."

"You were hurt, but it's more than that. I like you Eric. I know that you're different from other vampires."

"I'm still a cold blooded killer Sookie."

"You may be that, but I don't think another vampire would jump up and down on a bed with me, then take me out for ice cream that you didn't even get to enjoy."

A smile spread across his face. "Who said I didn't get to enjoy it Lover?"

"What do you mean?"

He moved down on the bed so that we were face to face. "Our first kiss. You weren't the only thing that I tasted." He leaned in and kissed me gently, probing my lips with his tongue. I opened my mouth and let him explore with his tongue while I explored with my hands. I could get lost in his kisses if I wanted to, but he pulled away from me. "Now you taste like sugar and citrus and milk." He kissed me again. "It's an interesting flavor."

I tangled my fingers in his hair. "I have something that tastes even better." I pulled him down to my neck. "Please bite me."

He nuzzled his nose against my neck. "I've never had anyone beg me to bite me without expecting sex in return."

I felt no better than the fangbangers at Fangtasia. "I'm pathetic aren't I? I'm sorry, I just want you to be better. I think that I should go and sleep in another room tonight." I tried to pull away from him, but he wouldn't let me go."

He brought his hand up to my face and turned me so that I was looking up into his eyes. "You are not pathetic. You are brave and strong and caring and beautiful." He stroked my cheek with his thumb. "I should have never made you beg in the first place. I won't have you doing that again." He leaned into my neck, kissed and ran his tongue over the spot where he was going to bite, then gently slid his fangs in to my neck.

There was no pain in his bite, only pleasure. I could feel every draw all the way to my toes and I could feel the moisture pool between my legs. I wanted to feel him inside of me more than anything in that moment, but I pushed it aside for now.

He pulled his fangs out a moment later and I knew that he was going to heal the marks, I didn't know how I knew, but I did know that I didn't want him to heal them. "No, don't, I want to keep them." I could feel that he was about to say something, but I stopped him by trying to pull him off of the bed. "Come with me."

"Where are we going?"

"To take a shower. You still have blood in your hair." I didn't know whose blood it was and I didn't want to know, I just wanted this whole night washed away.

I led him into the bathroom, turned on the water to get it to the right temperature, then started removing my clothes. "Are you planning on joining me Lover?"

I looked up at him as I stood naked before him. "That was my current plan." I helped him off with his sleep pants, then wrapped my arms tightly around his waist. "I just need to be close to you right now." I felt a warmth flow through me in that moment, but it didn't feel like it was coming from me. I didn't want to think about feelings right now, I just wanted to feel Eric.

I pulled him into the shower and I stood close to him as I washed away the traces of this night from his body. He traced his hands up and down my body as I did that, but none of our touches were sexual. This was what I needed, just to feel. "Why are you so quiet little one?"

I didn't want to tell him what I had been pushing to the back of my mind ever since I found him on the front steps. I had been scared and I had hid it so that he wouldn't notice, but here, now with just the two of us, I couldn't keep it inside. I pushed him down to his knees so that I could wash his hair as I spoke. "When I found you on the porch I was scared. You were bloody and pale and I didn't know what to do." I massaged the shampoo into his scalp and I could feel him looking up at me. "In that moment I realized that I could have lost you tonight and I didn't like it one bit."

"Even if something were to happen to me, you would be well taken care of and protected."

I yanked his hair so that I had his attention. I couldn't stop the tears from streaming down my face. "I don't give a shit about my protection. If it would keep you safe I would go to the queen and give up my freedom." He pulled me down so that we were face to face, or more so and he wiped my tears away. "I know that I have only known you a few days, but I care about you and I don't know what I would do if I lost you." I threw my arms around him and cried into his neck. He caressed me and rocked me to help me calm down.

When I had stopped crying and calmed down he lifted me to my feet and cleaned me as gently and thoroughly as I had him. His touch was gentle and there was still nothing sexual to it.

When we were both clean and rinsed he helped me out and dried me off before wrapping a towel tightly around me. He dried himself off, wrapping a towel around his waist, then lifted me bridal style and carried me back into the bedroom. He set me down in the overstuffed arm chair in the room, then he went about changing the slightly bloody and still damp sheets. He moved with vampire speed and it was amazing to watch him finish in seconds.

When he was done he crouched down in front of me to look me in the eyes. "Where are you're night clothes?"

I thought that was a strange question until I realized that he wanted to take care of me now. In that moment I realized that Nessa had been wrong about something that she had told me. "I don't want to get dressed. Just hold me while we go to rest."

He gently scooped me up, removing my towel and gently set me down on the bed. "Do you have paper and pen?"

"In my purse on the dresser."

He retrieved what he needed and wrote something down before setting it down on the nightstand closer to me. "I wrote down the code you will need to get out. The locks will automatically reset when the door closes." I watched at he set the locks then headed back to bed. With anyone else I would have been uncomfortable be locked in with them, but I didn't mind with Eric.

He dropped his towel when he reached the bed and slid in beside me. I immediately slid closer to him and curled up next to him, resting my head on his chest. I thought for a second that he would push me away, but he didn't, he wrapped his arms around me. "Goodnight Sookie."

"Goodnight Eric." I closed my eyes and waited until I could feel that he died for the day and said something that I wanted him to hear, but it was too soon for me to say to him where he could hear. "I love you."


	12. Chapter 12

A/N I did not expect this update to take so long. My muse decided to pack her shit and take off for a while, but she is slowing coming back, so hopefully all of my stories will be updated sooner rather than later. The one thing that i don't like about this chapter is the lack of Viking, but i promise to make it up next chapter if i feel the love, so read on and let me know what you think!

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><p>The few hours that I spent sleeping beside Eric were the most peaceful and content hours of sleep that I'd had in a very long while. When I woke I didn't want to leave the comfort of his arms, but my full bladder and empty stomach were screaming in protest for attention.<p>

I managed to wiggle myself out of Eric's death grip and just made it into the bathroom. I did my business as well as brushing my teeth and washing my face, then I slipped back out into the bedroom. The fact that I was still naked didn't bother me half as much as it would have just a few days ago. What did bother me was the fact that I really didn't want to leave Eric or this room right now. After last night I felt the need to be close to him, but I had too many things to do to stay up here all day.

I sat down on the bed and just looked at Eric in his daytime rest for a few minutes. He looked so peaceful and content and I just wanted to stay her and watch over him. I looked over at the clock and it was after one o'clock in the afternoon. No matter what I wanted I had spent enough of my day in this room and I needed to go out.

I decided to save my long lists of items for later and set myself to go clothes shopping. I needed clothes for Fangtasia and maybe I could find a little something special to wear for Eric.

I slid on my nicest bra and panty set, a blue sundress with white flowers on it that would be easy to get off and on while I was trying on clothes and a pair of flip flops to finish the outfit. I went to get my purse, but I couldn't stop myself from getting back on the bed with Eric for just another minute.

I slid up next to him and slid my fingers over his relaxed face. "You have changed my life so much in just a few days and I hope that your presence changes it even more. I know that you are not ready to say it back and I'm not ready to say it to you while you are awake, but I do love you Eric Northman no matter what anyone will every tell me and when the time is right I will be yours in every way possible and that matters." I leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips. "I will think about you every second that I am gone." I forced myself to get off the bed, I grabbed everything that I would need and I made my way downstairs.

When I walked into the kitchen I dropped my purse on the table, then turned on the coffee maker and went about fixing myself some toast for brunch. As I fixed my food I tried to focus on what kind of clothes that I would need for work, but I couldn't stop thinking about Rene. The little bit that I had seen in his head the other day was enough to turn my stomach and I really wasn't looking forward to delving any deeper into that dark pit, but I really didn't have a choice. This was part of the job now and I was just going to have to fight my way through it.

I quickly scarfed down a couple of pieces of toast and two cups of coffee before I was ready to leave. I put Rene out of my mind for now and focused on the task I had at hand.

It didn't take me long to get to the strip mall where Fangtasia was. The clothing store a few doors down was called Goddess Designs and there was just something that drew you to it. I found a parking spot right in front of the store and made my way inside.

As I stepped inside the store for the first time I could feel magic that was surrounding it. It was not something that I had come in contact with before, but I just knew that it was magic.

I stood just inside the door taking in my surroundings when a woman a few years older than me, a few inches taller than me with a short, bob haircut and dressed as a hippie came running up to me. She had a huge smile on her face and I couldn't stop my own smile from making an appearance. She came right up to me, threw her arms around me and pulled me into a huge bear hug that I wasn't expecting. "I am so glad that you are finally here Sookie. I have been waiting for you."

I quickly pulled away from her and looked at her face. "How did you know my name?"

Since we were touching I could hear her answer in her mind before she actually said it, but she said just what she was thinking. "I'm a witch and I have this ability where I just know most things that are going to happen. I've has this ability since I was a little girl. I've been seeing your arrival for weeks, but I never really know when something is going to happen, just that it's going to happen."

She kept going on and on in her mind and I couldn't keep her out since she was still touching me. "Um, Amelia, could you tone down your thoughts just a bit please? You are starting to give me a headache."

She quickly pulled away and her thoughts immediately quieted down. "I'm so sorry Sookie. I forgot that you were a telepath."

"You sure know a lot about me."

"I know more than you think, but I promise that I would never tell anyone about your gift."

Gift my ass, but I wasn't about to say that out loud. "Thank you Amelia."

She smiled at me. "now we need to pick out some Fangtasia clothes and maybe something sexy for your Viking sheriff?"

"You do know a lot, don't you?"

"I know that you two are suppose to be together and I'm going to help you find some clothes that will make him never look at another fangbanger ever again."

Before I could reply to that, I was pulled through the store and my arms were quickly loaded up with more clothes than I had ever owned in my entire life. There were tank tops, halter tops, skirts that were shorter than I'd ever worn before, short shorts, bras and panties that I never would have picked on my own, thigh high stockings, and knee high and thigh high boots with heels so high that I would probably fall and kill myself in.

When I couldn't hold anymore, Amelia pushed me into a dressing room and made me try on every last item and model each one for her. I felt like a giant, human Barbie doll, but I fell in love with every single thing that I tried on that she had picked out for me and that was very bad. There was a small fortune's worth of clothes and not all of it was for Fangtasia. I knew I had to put some of these things back, so I started with the knee high platform boots that I was wearing. They were really comfortable, but I knew that wouldn't last long especially if I was walking around. "Amelia, where am I going to wear these boots?"

"Fangtasia." I looked over at her like she was nuts. There was no way that I would be able to wear these for hours at a time running around slinging drinks. She just smiled at my skepticism. "I put charms on all the shoes that I sell. You could wear these boots for days at a time and you would feel like you were walking on a cloud every step." That was definitely going to be a plus and I also knew that I would be keeping the boots, but I had to put some of these things back.

"I love everything Amelia, but all of it is too much. I can't buy all of this stuff no matter how much I love it."

"Oh Sookie, I know the Sheriff and how generous he is. I know that he would want you to have all of these beautiful clothes and more."

"Well I do still need to pick out something extra special to wear for him." I was not going to win this, so I thought of how I could wake him up later tonight. That made me think of what we had to do tonight and that took some of the wind out of my sails.

Amelia interrupted my internal musings. "Sook, why don't you look around some more for something special for your Viking and I'll be back in a little while."

Before I could ask where she was going, she was already gone. I decided that it wouldn't hurt to look around for a little longer. No matter what we needed to do tonight I still wanted to find something special to wear for him sometime.

As I wandered around the store I noticed that there was a back area that was separate from the rest of the store. I decided to take a peak back there and see what Amelia had to offer.

I stepped back there and this was definitely not a selection of clothing that I would normally choose from. There were items made from leather and lace that would barely cover my ample bounty. I passed those things by until I found a few things that I would be more comfortable with, but would still hold Eric's attention.

I was all the way in the back when I found an outfit that would be perfect to wear when I was ready to give myself fully to Eric. It was a white satin gown with sections that were sheer and completely see through that fell to mid-thigh with thin spaghetti straps, a matching sheer robe as well as matching thong panties. It was perfect, but I still wanted something special to wear now.

I went back around the room once again until I found an outfit that reminded me of the night before and how I had to care for my Viking. It was slightly out of my comfort zone, but this outfit I could live with and there were a variety of others as well. They were slightly playful and hopefully something that fangbangers hadn't tried with Eric.

I scanned through the rack of costumes and picked out a nurse outfit, a French maid's outfit, a Moulin Rouge dancer outfit, a school girl costume, a belly dancer costume, and a flapper costume.

I brought everything back to the dressing room and tried them all on. I felt a little silly trying on costumes when it was Halloween, but knowing that I was going to wear them for Eric made me feel sexy. I knew I was being frivolous buying all of these costumes and accessories when I thought that everything else was too much, but I was sure that Eric wouldn't object when he saw me in my new outfits.

I was gathering my purchases and heading to the register when I realized that Amelia had been gone for quite a long time. I opened my mind to listen for her and I realized that I couldn't hear anyone. Even the people outside were blocked from me and I assumed that was due to the magic surrounding the store.. It was very peaceful in here.

I was lost in my thoughts when suddenly Amelia's screaming mind came back. I quickly pulled my shields up and put on my crazy Sookie smile since she startled me and my shields weren't keeping her out. She stopped short when she saw my face and quickly quieted her mind. "Sorry Sookie."

"It's okay Amelia. Where have you been all this time? I thought that you had bailed out on me."

"No, I just had something important that I had to take care of." I watched her pull something out of her pocket and she held it out to me. "Here, I think that you need this to save yourself some grief and trauma."

I took the object from her and saw that it was a cassette tape. "What is this?"

"The taped confessions of one Rene Lanier."

I couldn't stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks in relief. "Are you serious?"

She pulled a tissue from her pocket and wiped away my tears. "Yes I am. If you had delved into that man's mind like you were planning on doing it would have done irreparable damage to you psyche. I couldn't let that happen to one of my new best customers and my new best friend."

I couldn't believe that this woman that I had been a stranger to me up until a short while ago had done something like that for me. "I'll be more than your best friend, I will be your slave for life and name my first daughter after you."

"Slave, unnecessary, just remember the naming thing down the line."

I wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying I was so happy and I just pulled her into another hug. "Amelia, you are a life saver. I will never be able to repay this kindness."

She pulled away and looked down at all of the extras that I had added to my pile. "I think that all of this is a good start." I blushed bright red at her knowing why I was going to be wearing these outfits, but I pushed my embarrassment aside she started ringing me up.

I looked at the cassette in my hand and I had some questions that I really needed her to answer. "Amelia, how did you get this?"

"Magic."

I waited a moment for her to continue, but when she didn't I kept right on asking. "How could you stand listening to what he was saying?"

"I didn't have to listen to him Sookie." She stopped what she was doing and looked up at me. "I wasn't traumatized by anything because I didn't hear anything. With magic you don't have to hear what you don't want to. You have everything that you and the Sheriff need. Now I don't want you to spend another second worrying about this. I want you to enjoy your new clothes and have fun with you Viking. All right?" I nodded my head as she went back to ringing up my purchases.

When she was finished the total was shocking. I had never spent so much money on clothes in my life, but Amelia kept telling me that it was fine, so I let it go.

After everything was paid for she helped me carry everything out to the car, then handed me her card. She told me to call her anytime day or night and I said that I'd invite her over for dinner in my new place when I was all settled in. I waved to her as I pulled out of the parking lot and made my way home.

As I was driving along a strange feeling came over me. I felt like I was being followed. Part of me wanted to believe that I was just being paranoid, but my gut was telling me that something bad could happen if I didn't pay attention to my surroundings.

I checked my rearview mirrors and caught a silver SUV a few car lengths behind me. I opened my mind and focused only on that car. There were four snarly minds in there that I new were Weres. I tried to believe that they weren't following me, but when I heard my name and Bill Compton's name, I knew that I was in trouble.

I took a deep breath to stay calm, but it didn't work out very well. I wanted Eric with me so much at that moment, but there were still too many daylight hours left for that to be possible.

I knew that I couldn't go home with these goons following me. I would never do anything to endanger Eric no matter how frightened I was.

I was starting to panic listening to what these guys were planning on doing with me. They were to abduct me and take me down to New Orleans, but they had special plans for me. They were going to have "fun" with me first. I could feel the tears trying to spill, but I wouldn't let them fall.

I tried to find some way to get away from them, but they kept right on my ass. I was more scared then ever and I wished harder than ever before that something would happen to make them stop following me. Suddenly the Weres minds went chaotic. I looked in my rearview mirror and their car swerved off the road. I don't know why happened or how, but I thanked God and anybody else who had listened to me in that moment.

I turned off the main roads and took the back streets home. I double and triple checked to make sure there wasn't trouble around before I quickly parked my car in the garage and got the door shut as fast as I could.

I gathered my bags as fast as I could, went inside making sure the door was securely locked behind me, then I ran all the way upstairs. I fumbled a little as I entered the code for the bedroom, but the second I was inside with Eric I could feel myself physically relax.

I dropped the bags inside the door, secured it behind me, then leaned against it sliding down to the floor. This was not good. When it had just been Bill coming after me I was relatively safe going out during the day time, but now that there were Weres after me, that changed everything. But the biggest of my problems right now was how did they find me so fast? I didn't tell anyone where I was going or what I was doing today. I couldn't handle thinking about this right now.

There were still a few hours before Eric would be getting up and I was more than happy to stay in here with him now, so I decided to put all my purchases away and hope that Eric knew what to do when he found out we had more trouble coming our way.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N This chapter was being a little fussy with me, but i finally managed to get it back on track. There is some lemon action going on, but it does get a little dark, so if you don't like that i apologize up front. I hope that you all enjoy and let me know what you think.

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><p>I put on the radio while I put my clothes away knowing that it wouldn't disturb Eric. The combination of music and keeping myself busy helped me to stay calm. I focused on Eric's void and I became more relaxed than I had ever been before, even after my scare.<p>

After everything was put away I couldn't stop myself from running my hands over my new costumes and realizing that I wanted to surprise Eric. I knew that I would need to tell Eric about what happened today, but I could at least have some fun with him first. I wanted to get my hands, my lips, my tongue all over him before we had to discuss trouble.

I pulled down the costume and slipped off my clothes and slipped it and all the accessories on as well. I slipped into the bathroom after I was dressed to see how I looked. I couldn't help feeling a bit silly and I was having second thoughts that Eric would think that it was silly too, but I quickly pushed those thoughts away. I was taking a bit of a risk doing this and I had a good feeling that it was going to pay off.

My breasts were practically spilling out of the red and white bikini top of the nurses outfit that I had decided on. My little red and white skirt barely covered my ass and I finished off the outfit with white thigh high stockings with a little red bows in the front, white high heels and a little nurse's cap. I put on a deep red lipstick, some mascara and just a little bit of blush to accentuate my cheeks. I kept my hair down in it's natural wavy state and I felt in that moment that I was sexy and worthy of the gorgeous man dead to the world in the next room.

With one last fluff of my hair I went back into the bedroom and stood at the foot of the bed. Eric looked so handsome lying there. His beautiful blonde hair was spread around his head like a lion's mane. I moved my eyes down to his bare chest and saw that the sheet was barely covering him. As I looked at him I felt like a lioness on the prowl. I wanted to touch him and to feel him right now even though he was dead to the world.

I reached out and slowly pulled the sheet off of him exposing his gracious plenty to me alone. I just stood there and stared at him for a moment before I climbed up onto the bed and knelt between his legs. I reached out and gently trailed my fingertips up his thighs and over his hips. There wasn't even a twitch under my touch, but there was one part of him that was very much awake even in his death sleep. I ran my fingers up and down his gracious plenty and felt it grow harder under my touch.

Without thinking about my actions, I leaned down and licked the tip of his GP. He tasted so good to me that I couldn't stop myself from taking him in my mouth as far as I could. He was growing harder in my mouth as I gently suckled on him. I knew that he liked what I was doing and I wasn't about to stop.

I was licking up and down and stroking what I couldn't get into my mouth with my hands. I was lost in what I was doing when I felt his fingers tangle into my hair. He wasn't putting pressure on me to take him deeper, he was just letting me know that he was awake.

I looked up at him at him from where I was between his legs and he was looking back down at me with hunger and lust in his eyes. I could feel his lust increase as I kept eye contact with him and sucked harder and stroked faster.

I looked back down at what I was doing and barely noticed when Eric grabbed onto me and spun my around with his gracious plenty still in my mouth. He maneuvered me so that I was straddling his face. He pushed up the little fabric that was my skirt around my waist, tore off the white thong that I had slipped on and went to work on my pussy.

His tongue was magical and had me crying out around his GP in seconds. I was soon thrusting my pelvis up and down to get his tongue in just the right spot. Everything that he was doing to me felt so good. I could feel my orgasm building quickly, so sucked, licked and stroked him even faster until I felt him swell and shoot his delicious seed down my throat.

I had been right there ready to cum as well, but he'd pulled back keeping me from having my own pleasure. I tried to move around to face him and ask him why he stopped, but he held onto my hips to keep me from moving. "I'm not done with you yet Lover." I wanted to know what he was going to do to me, but he suddenly pulled me down further down onto his face and his tongue slowly slid back and forth across my slit. I had never felt anything like this before in my life.

I could feel my orgasm building back up when I felt Eric slide a finger inside of me. I was wet enough that it slid right in, but I knew that I was still really tight down there. I wondered how I would ever take the GP inside of me, but Eric touched me just right to bring my attention back to him.

I was close to cumming when Eric rubbed me in just the right spot to sent me crying out his name as I went over the edge. I could feel my juices dripping out onto Eric's face, but he just kept lapping up every drop.

When I was thoroughly licked clean, Eric spun me back around so that I was laying on his chest. I rested my head in the crook of his neck while he gently stroked my hair. I could feel his eyes on me and I knew what he was about to ask before he spoke. "Lover, what are you wearing?"

Hearing him call me lover made me tingle all over. I sat up as much as I could so that he was getting the full effect of my outfit. "I went shopping today and I picked out a few special outfits that I wanted to wear for you."

I watched a smirk spread across his face. "What kind of outfits?"

"Kind of like what I am wearing now. It could be Halloween everyday."

"I'd settle for a fashion show. Would you like to do that for me Lover? I could help you undress. I'm very good at that." He reached up to start undressing me, but I pushed his hands away.

"As much as I would like to continue this, we need to talk first."

"That sounds a bit ominous Lover."

"Well then, let me put it another way, I have good news and I have bad news." I got off of him, went over to my purse and pulled out the cassette tape. I ran back over to the bed, jumped on and handed it to him.

"What's this?"

"The good news. The tape that you are holding had the recorded confessions of one Rene Lanier." I watched the confusion appear on his face, so I told him what Amelia had done for me. "I didn't ask her to do it, she just did it while I was trying on my clothes." I paused and couldn't stop myself from fidgeting as I told him the rest. "Amelia to me that if I had been the one to delve into his mind I would have been irreparably damaged mentally from what was in there." I stopped and looked up at Eric. He looked angry and a million miles away. "Eric, please don't be mad at me." I couldn't stop the tears that started rolling down my cheeks. "If I'd known what she was going to do I would have stopped her. I would have done it myself no matter what the consequences."

He snapped out of his thoughts at my words. He turned towards me and lifted my face up to his so he could look into my eyes. "Sookie, I would never do anything that would cause you harm. I should have thought more on what could be inside that man's head and what it might do to you." He reached up and stroked my face as he brushed away my tears. "I owe Miss Broadway a very big favor for what she has done." I could see that he wasn't upset anymore. I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face, but it didn't last long when I remembered that there was bad news that I had to tell him as well. "What's the matter Sookie?"

"Something happened to me on the way home today." I paused and took a deep breath before I continued. "A car full of Weres were following me. I couldn't get much from them since I was driving, but they were thinking about me and Bill Compton."

"Did they touch you? Did they hurt you?" I could see that his anger was coming back tenfold and I didn't like it.

I ran my hands up and down to try to calm him. "Eric, they didn't even get close and they didn't get out of the car. They were following me and I was trying to figure out how to get away from them, when they blew a tire. I got off the main streets and took the back roads home."

Eric got up off the bed and started to pace. "I'm going to kill him! Orders or not, what he's doing is just completely unacceptable. I'm going to hunt him and end his life no matter what the consequences."

That last part caught my attention. "Eric, what kind of consequences are you talking about?" He didn't answer me and kept right on pacing. I got off the bed and blocked his path. "Eric, what consequences?"

He looked down at me and I could see the hesitation in his eyes before he decided to speak. "Mr. Compton is a member of the queen's court. Going after him without the queen's permission will come with a severe punishment."

He started to walk past me, but I moved in front of him again. "Eric, no. Whatever you're thinking about doing, stop. I'm not going to let you get punished for this. There's got to be another way."

"Sookie, I won't let him get you. I need to put a stop to this while I can. I can handle anything that the queen could dish out."

"But I don't want you to get hurt." I needed to distract him somehow so that we could come up with a different plan. I looked down at my hands and I noticed the perfect way to distract him. Eric was still naked!

It started to be a distraction to me, but when I noticed Eric start to move and say something I didn't think about anything except keeping him here. I dropped to my knees and took him as deep into my mouth as I could. He was still soft from before, but I was hell bent on changing that.

I could feel him try to pull away from me, but I wouldn't let him. I hallowed out my cheeks and sucked him as hard as I could. He started to relax under my ministrations, but I could still tell that he wanted to pull away. I wasn't about to let that happen, so I ran my hands up his thighs and grabbed onto his gorgeous ass.

I kneaded his ass and sucked his cock until I felt him tense under my touch, then explode in my mouth. I swallowed every drop that he gave me, then licked him clean as he had done to me before pulling my mouth away from him. "Eric, please don't do something to get yourself hurt. I couldn't bare that. Let's come up with something that won't do that."

He looked down at my pleading eyes and I knew that he wasn't going to do anything foolish now. "Alright, we'll find another way Lover." He bent down and gently lifted me bridal style into his arms and carried me into the bathroom. He set me down on the counter as he went about filling up the tub with water and bubbles.

As it was filling up he came over and stood in front of me while he slowly undressed me. "Lover, why did you buy this and the other costumes while you were shopping?"

I could feel my face turning bright red as I thought about it. "I just wanted to do something to keep your interest. I don't want you to get bored with me." I dropped my head so that he wouldn't be able to see the tears that were welling up in my eyes.

He wasn't having that though. He gently lifted my chin so that I was looking into his eyes. "Sookie, how could you think that you needed this drivel to keep my attention. I'm not saying that you don't look hot as hell in this outfit, but you don't need it to keep my attention. You are brave and feisty and a strong southern belle. I discover something new and fascinating about you every day and I'm not even close to being ready to give that up."

"But what about sex? I'm not ready for the whole shebang yet."

"I'm very patient Lover. I'll wait as long as you need. Besides, I very much enjoy what we've been doing." I could feel my face and chest blush even redder than before as I was now sitting in front of him completely naked. "See, I didn't know that your blush went all the way down to your beautiful breasts. I shall have to make you blush more often." He trailed his fingers over my crimson skin and I couldn't help mirroring his moves on his own gorgeous chest.

I was content just touching him when he pulled away, turned off the water, and carried me into the tub. The hot water and the bubbles as well as being in Eric's arms was like being in heaven. I was curled up against his chest and even as I tried to fight it, I couldn't stop myself from falling asleep.

I knew that I was dreaming when I saw Nessa standing before me, but she looked very upset. "Nessa, what's the matter"

"Sookie, I am so sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"For what I have to show you." Images started flooding my mind. I was in a brightly lit room and I was surrounded by vampires. I could see Eric off to the side of the room tied up in silver chains and completely naked. I looked down at myself and I was naked and chained up as well.

I watched as Bill Compton stepped up to me and I could feel the bile rising in my throat. His chest was bare, but I couldn't see anything below his waist and I was glad of that. He ran his hands over my body and roughly squeezed and fondled my breasts. He leaned in and whispered in my ear. "I could have made this pleasant for you, but you just had to go to him, didn't you? I can smell that he hasn't had you fully yes, so I will take that honor for myself." I could feel goose bumps break out all over my flesh and my heart was racing in my chest.

I watched him climb up on top of me and he was naked as well. I knew what he was about to do and I wanted to thrash and hit him to keep him away, but I couldn't being chained down as I was there was nothing that I could do. I had never felt so helpless in my entire life.

He leaned down to try to kiss me, but I wouldn't have that. I thrashed my head back and forth until he clamped his hand around my neck. "So you like it rough huh? I'll show you rough." He slammed into me and I could actually feel that he had broken my pelvis, but he wasn't about to stop. I felt like I was in hell. I could hear Eric snarling and growling and thrashing against his chains, but it was no use.

I heard Nessa's voice as the images started speeding up and every vampire in the room, be they male or female, had there turn with my broken body. "Sookie, this is what your future holds for you if you don't do something about it."

There were tears streaming down my face. "What am I suppose to do? I can't stop dozens of vampires."

"You need to blood bond with your Viking. It's the only way to keep you safe for now."

"What does that mean?"

"Ask him. He will tell you the truth. If you don't, this is going to happen."

The images in my dream slowed down and I watched Bill Compton walk up to a very angry Viking. "You think that you can steel from your queen and not get away with it."

"She would make Sookie a slave and a prisoner. That is not what Sookie wants and this is not how we are suppose to treat humans since the Great Revelation."

"That is not for you decide or judge, but you're not going to be doing anything anymore." I saw that Bill had a stake in his hand and before I knew what was happening he had thrust the stake right through Eric's chest. He quickly turned into a bloody pile on the floor.

That was enough to wake me up screaming. "NOOOOOOO!" I was sitting up and panting. I could feel the sweat over every inch of my body and I couldn't get my mind to focus until I felt a strong arm slide around me.

"Sookie, it's all right. It was just a bad dream."

I looked up and Eric was there and he was alive and I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face and from jumping on top of him. "You're all right! I'm so glad that you are all right." I kissed him all over his face. I had never felt so relieved in all of my life.

I kissed his lips and when I pulled away I looked down into his eyes and didn't think before I spoke. "I love you."

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><p>I wrote the first part before i watched the season finale of true blood. i was tempted to change the outfit that sookie wears, but i already had it all worked out, so i let it go. any resemblance to any characters costumes is completely coincidence:)<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

A/N This chapter is kind of short, but it is setting up for something big. Hope you guys enjoy and let me know what you think!

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><p>This was definitely an OSM. I hadn't meant to say it, I was just so glad to see him alive after what Nessa had shown me I couldn't stop myself. Now I had three options available to get me out of this right now. One, I could brush it off and try to get him to brush it off as well, two, I could own up and tell him that I meant it and hope that I didn't just make a complete jackass of myself, or three I could run and hide until dawn and hope that Eric would forget that I had said it between dawn and dusk tomorrow.<p>

As I looked down into his eyes and saw confusion and I whole bunch of other emotions that I couldn't identify I knew that I only had one option. I jumped off the bed and ran into the bathroom to hide. I locked the door behind me, grabbed a towel to cover my still naked body and hid in the tub.

I felt silly hiding in the tub like a child, but I just couldn't face Eric right this moment. This was all happening very fast and I didn't want him to pity or humor me. I didn't want him to feel like he had to say it back, but that dream just messed with my head. Oh God, that dream! I was going to have to talk to Eric whether I wanted to or not. He needed to know about my dream.

I was so caught up in remembering my dream that I was startled when I heard Eric's voice above me. "Sookie, you can't hide in here forever."

I clutched the towel tighter around myself. "Eric, I'm so sorry. I don't know why I said what I said. I don't expect you to say it back, I just slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it and…" I was rambling and Eric shut me up in the best way possible, he pulled me to him and kissed me. I slid my arms around his neck as he kissed me and I clung to him. Seeing him get staked had really shaken me up and I felt better being close to him.

He pulled away from our kiss when I needed to breath and he gently caressed my face. "Sookie, I'm not going to lie to and say that I wasn't startled by what you said to me before, but not in the way that you think. The night you walked into Fangtasia I knew then that there was something different and special about you. In the few days since you've come into my life you have changed things, changed me. I can't say that I love you, but do have very strong feelings for you."

That was more than I expected. "I didn't mean to even tell you, but I had a really horrible dream and seeing you made me feel better and also blocked my brain to mouth filter." He gently lifted me out of the tub and tighter into his arms. I couldn't stop from snuggling closer to him as he carried me back to bed.

He sat down on the bed with me in his lap, then he asked me what I knew that he needed to know. "What was this dream that frightened you so much little one?"

I got as close to him as I possibly could before I spoke. "It was so horrible Eric. Somehow Bill Compton was able to find me and abduct me. He took me someplace filled with vampires. He had me chained up to a table and I was naked." I paused for a second as I felt him tense under me. I knew that it was going to get so much worse, so I continued. "I watched him climb up on the table and he proceeded to rape." I could feel the tears start to fall down my cheeks, but I quickly wiped them away and went on with my horror story. "He was so rough with me that he broke my pelvis. When he was done he got off of me and let every other vampire in the room have their turn with me as well."

My head had dropped down. I couldn't face looking into his eyes as I told him what could possibly happen, but he gently lifted my chin so that he could look into my eyes now. "Sookie, I would never let anything like that ever happen to you." My tears started flowing even faster. "What is it little one?"

"There was more to my dream. It was so horrible. You were there with me the whole time. You were chained to a wall. You tried to break free to save me, but the chains were silver and you just couldn't. You watched what they did to me growling and snarling the whole time and yelling for them to stop, but that's not the worst part." I paused to take a deep breath and calm myself down before I continued. "The worst part was when Bill went over and staked you."

"Sookie, it was just a dream. None of that is going to happen."

I wanted to tell him about Nessa and that it was a premonition instead of just a dream, but I didn't want him to think that I was crazy, but I had to at least try to make him believe me. "Eric I don't think that it was a dream. It felt too real to be a dream."

"You're just worried about what's going to happen since you discovered the Weres following you."

He wasn't going to believe me and I didn't know what to do. _Describe the room that you were in and the other vampires to him Sookie. He'll believe you._ I knew that Nessa was right, so that's what I did. I described every little detail of that room and every detail of each vampire that I had seen there as well. His face grew more and more shocked the more I described to him.

When I was finished, Eric set me down on the bed, then stood up and started pacing the room. "I am going to torture and murder that low life scum Compton and that stupid woman and her entire fucking court!"

"Eric, you can't take on all those vampires by yourself and I don't want you to. There has to be some other way."

He stopped pacing and looked down at me. "Sookie, it I don't do something about this, they will keep coming after you until they find a way to take you. I am not about to let that happen." I watched him disappear in the closet, then he came out a moment later wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He walked right by me and headed downstairs.

I got up to follow him when I realized that I was still naked. I quickly ran into the closet, slipped on a pair of shorts and one of Eric's t-shirts before I followed him downstairs.

I could hear him talking, actually yelling at somebody in a language that I didn't understand, in the living room, so I headed for the kitchen. I hadn't eaten anything since that morning, so I was starving. I made myself a double decker turkey sandwich, got a glass of soda and a bag of chips, then went into the dining room and sat down.

I was eating away at my sandwich and I was about half way finished when Eric came and sat down next to me. I could see that he was upset and frustrated about something. I swallowed the bite in my mouth before I spoke to him. "What's the matter Eric?"

"Bill Compton has gone missing."

I could feel the bite that I had just swallowed try to make it's way back up, but I forced it to stay down. "How long as he been missing?"

"Bubba saw him leave his house the night before last. He kept watch over Compton's house as well as your Gran's and never saw him come home. He could be staying with someone else in the area, but he didn't pack a bag and none of my regular vampire customers knows where he is."

I sat there for a minute letting what he had just told me sink in. I could feel my head start to spin. He could be anywhere right now. He could be gathering vampires to come and abduct me. He could be sharpening the stake that he is planning on ending Eric with. He could be watching this house right now.

That thought sent a shiver through my entire body before I jumped up from my seat and ran out to the backyard. I opened my mind up and out as far as I could looking for any voids or any thoughts about me or Eric. Luckily there weren't any, but I was still feeling sick to my stomach. I was close to having a full on panic attack when Eric came outside and took me into his arms. "I need you to calm down Sookie."

I pulled away enough so that I could look up at him. "I can't calm down Eric, he's coming for me. Those Weres found me and now he's going to find me. You didn't see what he is planning on doing to me. You don't know, you'll never know!" I could feel more tears streaming down my face as I watched the horrible scenes pass through my mind again, but this was different this time. I could actually feel my memories flowing out of me and into Eric. It was a strange sensation and I didn't really believe that it was happening, but when the memories finished playing Eric dropped to his knees with me still in his arms.

I looked up at his face and I could see bloody tears coming down his cheeks. "Oh Sookie, I will never let that happen to you. I swear on every one of my one thousand years that that will never ever happen to you."

I was shocked. He had really seen what I had seen. I didn't really know what to say to that, but I didn't have to say anything. Eric cradled me against him as he stood up and headed back inside the house. He carried me up to bed and tucked me in. He disappeared in the bathroom for a moment to wash away his bloody tears before coming back over to me and placing a gently kiss on my lips.

He was half way towards the door when I asked, "Eric, where are you going?"

"I have some errands to run before dawn. I will see you tomorrow night at Fangtasia." He ran out at vampire speed before I could say anything else. I had a feeling that he was going hunting tonight, but there was nothing I could do about it.

I sat there just thinking about everything that had happened in the last few days and I really needed somebody to talk to right now. I knew that it was late, but this just couldn't wait. I picked up the house phone and dialed a number that I new very well.

The phone rang eight times before it was answered by a very sleepy voice. "Hello?"

"Hi Gran, it's me."

"Sookie what's wrong? You sound upset darling girl. What's the matter?"

I couldn't stop myself from telling her everything, from Nessa coming to me in my dreams to telling Eric that I loved him and about that horrible dream/premonition that I had seen. It felt good to get everything out, but I was afraid that I had overwhelmed her when she was silent on the other end of the line. "Gran, are you still there?"

"Yes. Um, Sookie, would you mind if I came over tomorrow to talk to you?"

"Of course not Gran. We can have lunch together and talk before I have to go to work."

"I'll be there around eleven." She paused for a minute. "I want you to know that I love you Sookie."

"I love you too Gran." We said our goodbyes, then I snuggled down into the very big and very lonely bed. There was something off about Gran tonight, but I didn't know what it was. Hopefully I would find out during our talk tomorrow.

I closed my eyes and didn't expect sleep to come easily with all of the thoughts that were running through my mind, but I was asleep in minutes. And not long after that I was down in the living room with Nessa. "You didn't say anything to him about bonding."

"I had a few more pressing things on my mind, then he left before I had a chance to tell him."

"You need to talk to him about it first thing tomorrow night. But this is not the only thing that I came to talk to you about tonight."

"If you have anything else horrible to show me, I'd rather you waited for some other time. I have been traumatized enough tonight, I can handle anything else right now."

"No, nothing like that, I'm just trying to give you a heads up."

"About what?"

"Your grandmother is coming over tomorrow to tell you something and that something is going to change you're entire life. I just don't want you to go in there blind."

"What is she going to tell me?"

"It will be better coming from her. I promise that you will be fine. You are actually already changing and what she has to tell you will help you to understand that."

"Right now I don't understand one thing that you are talking about. Can you elaborate just a bit please?"

"You were the one that disabled the van that the Weres were in." Before I could be too completely shocked about what she had just told me I was pulled into a black and dreamless sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N My muses have been fighting me on this one and i really don't know how i feel about this chapter. Let me know what you think and hopefully i will have updates of my other stories up by the end of the week. Enjoy:)

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><p>I woke up the next morning feeling anything but rested. I hadn't had anymore dreams, but my mind had still been swimming in the darkness. I had a bad feeling about what Gran was going to tell me and I was confused about what Nessa had told me. How in the hell was I able to stop those Weres from inside my own car?<p>

I couldn't handle thinking about that right now. I got out of my very lonely bed wondering where Eric was right now and what he'd done after he'd left last night. I was worried that he had gone and done something stupid that could get himself hurt, but that was also something that I couldn't think about right now.

I went into the bathroom and took care of my human needs, dressed and headed out to pick up some groceries. I was going to make fried chicken and mashed potatoes for lunch. That was one of my go to comfort meals and I knew that I was going to need all the comfort I could get. I also picked up a ready made chocolate cake to finish off the meal. It wasn't going to be exactly like Gran's chicken since I didn't have a cast iron skillet, but I had picked up a small deep fryer and a jug of oil that I would have to make do with.

When I got home I unloaded the groceries, got the chicken soaking and the potatoes boiling, then I got to cleaning. I hadn't been in the house long enough to get it too dirty, but I wanted to make a good impression with Gran.

It didn't take me long to tidy up and just as I turned on the oil to get it hot to cook the chicken I heard Gran pull into the driveway. I met her at the front door and I could feel a tension between the two of us as she walked inside. I had never felt anything like this between us before and I didn't like it one little bit. Hopefully our talk would help alleviate that.

After our tense greeting we both went into the kitchen and finished fixing lunch together while Gran filled me in on the latest Bon Temps gossip. It was no different than what I'd heard before. I wasn't really listening, I was more worried about what she had to tell me. I tried to get a clue from her mind, but she had it closed off to me. I didn't know how she did that, but she did.

We both only picked at are meals and I didn't even bother bringing out the cake that I had bought, I just wanted to get this over with. We cleared our dishes, but I left them in the sink and quickly ushered Gran into the living room to talk. "Okay Gran, I need you to tell me what you have to tell me."

I watched her take a deep breath and fidget with the handkerchief that she had pulled out of her bag. "Sookie, this is going to be the most difficult conversation that we have ever had. I've wanted to tell you for a long time, but after all these years I just couldn't bring myself to do it." I could see the tears that were starting to well in her eyes, but she continued before I could say anything. "I just want you to know that I loved your Grandfather very much and I never wanted to do anything to hurt him. My actions came from a desperation that I hope you can understand." This was getting more confusing by the minute. I had a dozen questions coming to mind, but she was becoming hysterical. I decided that I had a better way to help her tell me what I needed to know.

I went over and sat down next to Gran and I held out my hands for her to take. "Gran, show me what you want me to see." She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at me silently asking if I was sure about what I was asking her to do. "I can tell this is hard for you Gran. It might be better if I'm just able to see what you want me to know."

"Are you really sure about that Sookie?"

"Yeah, I can handle it." She took my hands and I was pulled into her mind.

_I saw Gran hanging laundry out on a warm summer day. Suddenly a strange man came walking out of the surrounding woods. Gran looked so much younger than I had ever seen her. She stopped what she was doing and smiled at the stranger as he approached her. "Hi there. Can I help you? Are you lost?"_

"_Could I trouble you for a glass of water Mrs. Stackhouse?"_

"_Of course. How did you know my name Mr…?"_

"_Brigant, Fintan Brigant and I know a lot about you Adele." I had been seeing things through Gran's eyes and feeling her attraction to him, but there was something different about him as I saw him from an outsiders point of view. He had magic surrounding him. It was like what I felt when I was around Amelia only much, much stronger._

"_Who are you? What do you want from me?"_

_I watched as he pushed some of his power at my Gran. It was a fine mist that surrounded her, but I couldn't tell what it was doing to her. "It's what I can do for you Adele."_

_I could see her relax as the magic took effect and a smile spread across her face. "What do you want to do for me?"_

_He reached up and gently stroked her face. "I can give you the children that you so desperately want and that your husband can't give you."_

_That pulled her slightly out of her magical daze. "No, I couldn't even think about doing something like that. I love my husband and would never, could never cheat on him."_

"_But just imagine having a sweet little daughter, or a handsome son to take care of. Isn't that what you've always wanted?"_

_I could see her eyes glaze over and I couldn't stand to watch any longer._

I pulled out of Gran's mind and I felt sick to my stomach. I stood up to put some distance between us. "Gran, you let that man rape you? You couldn't possibly have willingly gone with that."

"Sookie, I knew that there was magic involved in the beginning, but even in the first instant that I saw him I was still attracted to him. If I hadn't been attracted to him the magic wouldn't have worked."

I really couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You cheated on Granddaddy with whatever that man was?"

"Is Sookie. He's still alive and Fintan happens to be a fairy."

"WHAT!" I couldn't stop myself from laughing at that. "Gran, this is hardly a time to joke about stuff like this."

"I'm not joking Sookie."

I looked into her eyes and I could see that she wasn't. "Holy Christmas, you aren't joking."

"Sit down Dear." I did and she proceeded to tell me what little she knew about Fintan and fairies. I was taking the information in without even really paying attention. Everything that I had seen and that she was telling me changed who I was. Is being a part fairy going to change who I was? My mind was spinning with all of this new information, so I forced myself to focus on what Gran was saying.

"I also have some things for you that Fintan wanted you to have when the time was right." I watched her pull a small box and an encyclopedia sized book out of her bag. She slid the box to me first. "This is a necklace that Fintan had made especially for you. He said that it would help protect you when you needed it."

I opened it and there was a ping pong ball sized sphere that seemed to glow several different colors. I went to pick it up, but I stopped before I did. "Is the chain made of silver? I'm going to be around vampires, one in particular and I will not wear it if it will hurt anyone."

"It's made of white gold. Somehow Fintan knew that you would end up with a vampire."

"Gran, we're not together like that. He's just protecting me." I know that I had told Gran that I was in love with Eric, but will everything that was happening I couldn't really say that we were together, not the way that she thought.

"Sookie Olivia Stackhouse, don't you fib me. You said that you love him and I have a feeling that he loves you too."

"Gran, we've only know each other a few days." I didn't want to get my hopes up.

"That doesn't matter. When you find the one, time means nothing." She slid the book over towards me. "This is a book of fairy history. I've tried to read it, but I can't. Fintan said that only someone with fairy blood will be able to read it." I pulled the book in front of me, but I couldn't bring myself to open it yet.

I looked over and watched her stand up and walk over towards me. She gently kissed me and tilted my head up so that she could look me in the eye. "Sookie, I know that all of this is hard for you to understand, but it's done now and it's something that I will always have to live with. I'm going to leave you now because I know that you are going to need time to yourself to think everything through." She kissed me once more before taking her leave. I knew that I was being rude not walking her to the door, but I didn't care at the moment. My view of my Gran had totally changed and I didn't know how long it was going to take for me to be okay with everything.

When I was sure that Gran was gone I focused back on the necklace. I could feel the power flowing through it as I lifted it out of the box. I felt the need to put it on. When I slid it over my head and as it rested on my chest I could actually feel myself relax. It was nice to feel that much safer during the day, but I was still nervous about what I was going to find in that fairy book.

I picked it up and decided that I would look through it upstairs in bed so that I could relax a little bit before I had to get ready for work. I got comfortable on the bed and opened my book on my lap. It only took a few pages for me to wish that I hadn't started reading it at all. I discovered another reason why the vampires wanted me. My fairy blood was the equivalent of vampire crack.

I tossed the book away from me on the bed and I got up and started pacing the room. Was that the real reason that Eric agreed to protect me? Did he somehow know what I was by the taste of my blood? I didn't want to believe that that could be true, but I had the proof right there in that book.

I couldn't stop the tears that started to flow down my cheeks. I didn't want to believe that Eric would just want me for my blood. From what I got from that awful Bill Compton I could believe that he and that horrible queen would want me for that, but the way that Eric had been with me, I just couldn't believe it.

I didn't want to think about the possibility of things falling apart twice in less than a week. I was tempted to lay down and have a nap before work. I was emotionally exhausted and I didn't want my shields to be weak on my first night of work, but I decided against that. I didn't want to see Nessa right now either. Whatever Eric had to say I wanted to hear it from him.

I paced for a few more minutes before checking the time. It was almost five o'clock. I didn't have to be at Fangtasia until eight, but I wanted to get there early so that I could hopefully talk to Eric before I had start. I decided to run myself a bath to help me relax.

I went into the bathroom and filled the tub up with hot water and lots of bubbles and it felt like heaven when I slipped in the water. I removed all of the excess hair from my body, then I leaned back and just relaxed my thoughts. My mind was still racing, but I wasn't going to jump to any kind of conclusions until I was able to speak to Eric.

After almost an hour in the tub I forced myself to get out. I dried off, slid on my robe and went downstairs to get something to eat. I fixed myself a sandwich and some fruit, washed it down with a glass of juice, then went back upstairs to get dressed.

I made sure that every hair was just right as I pulled it back while leaving a few curls around my face. I went light on the makeup; eye shadow, mascara and lip gloss, then I slid on a strapless red bra and matching thong before I went to the closet to pick out one of the "uniforms" that I'd purchased. Amelia said that any type of red dress was the uniform and the shorter the dress, the better the tips.

I pulled out one of the dresses that Amelia had picked out for me. It wasn't something that I would have chosen for myself, but it fit me like a glove and accentuated all of my curves in the best way possible. It was a ruched sleeveless dress and it barely covered my ass, but it made me feel very sexy and that's what I needed to make it through tonight.

I finished the outfit with black thigh high stockings and black leather knee high bots. I looked at myself in the mirror and with my fairy necklace that I hadn't removed and had no plans to remove I knew that no matter what happened tonight I would be able to get through it.

I grabbed my bag, adding a tank top, shorts and a pair of sandals to change into after work and I made my way out to my car. It took less than ten minutes to get to Fangtasia and I saw Eric's corvette still parked in the parking lot. I thought that was strange since it was still light out. He must of spent the night here or he just left his car here when he went to run his "errands" last night.

Thinking about how he left last night left a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I missed falling asleep in his arms, but I was worried about what he'd done after he left me. I parked next to his corvette and I opened my mind to focus on who was inside. There was a human mind moving around on the main floor, but what surprised me was the void moving around downstairs. I knew that it was Eric, but how was he up so early? Maybe if he didn't tell me that all wanted was my blood and that he didn't know I was a part fairy than I would ask him.

I took a deep breath, grabbed my bag and made my way inside to find out our fate.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N Another chapter, I am on a roll. Let me know what you think cause i love feeling the love. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Enjoy!

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><p>I went inside through the back employee entrance and found the back hall deserted. I slipped into Eric's office to set down my bag, then I followed Eric's void to where it was downstairs.<p>

I walked down the stairs and stopped on a landing about halfway down. I looked around and this basement was more like a dungeon, and I should have been nervous or had horrible thoughts coming to mind, but my mind went a whole different direction, especially when I saw Eric come into the room from a hidden door. He looked up at me when he saw that I was standing there and as I looked at him any doubts that I had about him vanished, but I still needed to ask him if he knew what I was.

I heard his fangs click down as he looked at me and I wanted to run down the rest of the stairs and jump on him, but that would have to wait. "Hi Eric. I need to talk to you for a minute, it's important."

He ran up to me at vamp speed and was in front of me before I even realized that he had even moved. He lifted me into his arms and carried me into the secret room he had just exited from. He pushed me up against the closed door and immediately his lips were on mine. This was not what I had in mind when I came down here, but I wasn't about to fight him right away either.

I felt his hands slide down my waist and he lifted me up to get me closer to him. I couldn't stop myself from locking my legs around his waist and burying my fingers in his hair to keep him close. This was distracting me from what I had come down her to talk to him about, but he was just too irresistible.

When I felt his hands sliding under my dress and cupping my ass I knew that I had to put a stop to this, for now anyway. "Eric please, we need to talk." He moved his lips down to my neck and I could feel his fangs scraping along my skin. He was not playing fair, so I just blurted out what I needed to ask. "Eric, do you know that I'm part fairy?"

That was enough to snap him out of it. He set me down, but he didn't move away from me. He leaned in closer and inhaled deeply. Goosebumps covered my arms and a shiver went down my spine at that sensation. He pulled back and looked me in the eye. "You don't smell like a fairy?"

"What do I smell like?"

"You smell sweeter than a human, but not anywhere near as intoxication as a fairy smells."

"So you didn't know?"

"No I didn't know Sookie. How did you find this out?"

"From my Gran." I couldn't stop the tears that ran down my face as I told him everything that I had learned from my Gran today, that my whole life had been a total lie. "Now I have a grandfather named Fintan out there somewhere that I don't even know and I find out that I'm like crack to the vampires. I just don't know…" I was cut off by Eric pulling me close and attacking my mouth with his. I knew that I was rambling and this was the perfect way to get me to shut up.

He pulled away when he could tell that I needed to breath and cupped my face in his hands. "Everything is going to be all right Lover. You have been through so much in such a short amount of time. What can I do to help you feel better?"

"Will you just hold me for a few minutes until we have to get to work?"

He sat down on the bed and pulled me down onto his lap with his arms around me. "Lover, you don't have to work tonight if you are not up to it after what you've learned today."

"No, I want to work. It will help me to take my mind off of everything for a little while." I cuddled up as close to Eric as I could get for a few minutes until I realized I had something else that I needed to talk to him about and I might as well just get it over with. "Eric?"

"Yes Lover?"

"What is a blood bond?" I felt him tense up before he spoke.

"Where did you hear about that Sookie?"

I didn't know if Nessa wanted me to tell Eric about her, so I decided to keep this as vague as possible. "I have a friend who told me about it. She told me that if we bond it will help to keep me safe. What is it and what do we have to do?"

"It requires us to mutually exchange blood three times. After the third time we will be connected and will be able to feel each others emotions. We would also be able to influence each others emotions to some extent as well."

"Like you could force me to feel something that I didn't want to feel?"

"That's possible with some bonded couples, but I would never do that to you, I don't think that I could do that to you. Let's say for example that you were anxious about something, I could send you calmness through the bond to help you."

"Is there anything else?"

"By taking my blood you will feel different."

"What do you mean?"

"Vampire blood has healing properties to it. You would feel stronger and healthier than normal. You will also have an increased libido and would become more attracted to me by having my blood in you."

I smiled at that. "I really don't think that's possible. I already think that you're the sexiest man in the world. And everything else doesn't sound so bad. I think that bonding would be a good idea."

"Sookie, I want you to know the whole truth about bonding. Most vampires only bond to humans to be able to control them like a Renfield, but that wouldn't be how we would be. I care about you, probably more than I should, but I want you to think long and hard before you make a decision about us bonding before we do it."

"Do you not want to bond with me?"

He set me down on the bed and knelt in front of me. "I didn't say that, but Sookie if we do this I don't want you to have any regrets. I want us to do this because we want to, not because we are doing it to protect you or because someone else says that we have to do it. Okay?"

"Okay I guess."

"Sookie, I care for you very deeply. Whether you realize it or not you are already engrained yourself into my life and my heart and I like it. You are the sunlight to my dark world and I will do anything to keep you safe. I would bond to you right now and never let you go." I couldn't stop the fresh wave of tears that slid down my cheeks. "Please lover don't cry. It breaks my heart seeing you in tears."

"I'm sorry, I can't help it. I'm just so happy right now." I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him pouring every ounce of love and affection I had for him into it. I wanted to do more than kiss him right now, but I forced myself to pull away from him again knowing that we both had to get to work. "We really need to go upstairs now."

"I'm the boss, we can stay down her all night if we so choose to."

"As tempting as that is, I would like to earn my paycheck with old fashioned hard work."

"As you wish Lover." He stood up and took my hand as he led me upstairs.

I went with him into his office to get my purse so that I could fix my make-up. I sat on the couch and decided as I did that that I would also open my mouth and stick my foot in it. "Are you coming home tonight Eric?" The second the words were out of my mouth I wanted to pull them back in.

I looked over at Eric expecting to see anger or annoyance, but I saw that sexy smirk instead. "I think that that can be arranged Lover."

I smiled as I put my make-up back into my bag. "That would make me very happy." I stood up and walked over to his desk. "Would you mind if I kept my purse in you desk?"

"Usually you would have a locker, but I think that it would be better to keep it in my desk. We wouldn't want the wrong person going through it and finding out where you're staying now." He opened up his bottom desk drawer which I gladly accepted. I dropped my bag in there, gave him one last kiss on the lips, then went out front to get to work.

The rest of the night seemed to fly by. Belinda was very helpful in getting me accustomed to everything and Fangtasia was constantly busy. It was much easier here than at Merlotte's since there was no food to serve. Some of the customers tried to get a little grabby with me, but a growl and a glare from Eric set them all in their place.

By closing time I was several hundred dollars richer and I was happy to report that me feet felt as good as they had when I first put my shoes on earlier. I was going to have to pay Amelia another visit and clear her out of shoes.

I'd finished up my closing duties and had headed back to get my purse from Eric's office. I was hoping to see him, but he seemed to have disappeared. I knew that he hadn't left yet, so I decided to wait for him in his office.

I'd barely stepped inside when I heard the door close and lock behind me. Two very strong arms slid around my waist from behind and pulled me close to a very hard body. "How was your first night Lover?"

"Very good, thank you. It's a lot easier than Merlotte's and the tips here are a heck of a lot better too."

"Yes, the clientele here is very generous." He pressed his lips to the sensitive spot of my neck behind my ear and I was very close to melting against him. I was still charged up from work and with all of the sexual tension that had been in the club tonight I was feeling extremely aroused tonight. I wanted him to take me home and ravish me Viking style, but it wasn't time for that to happen yet.

While I had been lost in my thoughts I didn't notice that Eric had moved his hands down my body and was slowly pulling my dress up. His hands were on my bare hips and I couldn't stop the moan from escaping my lips, but I still begrudgingly pushed his hands away and my dress back down. "Eric we have to stop." There was no conviction in my voice, but I did try.

I turned in his arms and looked up at him. I could see the lust in his eyes as he gently pushed my back until I was up against his desk. "When will you finally yield to me my Sookie?" He reached up and traced his fingertips down my neck and I couldn't stop myself from trembling against his cool touch. "I know that you want me and I could show you pleasures that you've never even imagined."

This man had to be the devil with the amount of temptation that he was offering me. I was ready to rip both of our clothes off and let him fuck me right here, but this was not how that was going to happen. "Maybe now isn't a good time to be thinking about sex. What about my vision and Bill Compton? Did you find him?" I could tell that he was debating whether or not to tell me. "Eric, just say what you need to say, please."

He took a step away from me that I didn't care for, but I let him go. "My best trackers found him in a safe house just over the Arkansas border. It seems as if he's been spending quite a bit of time there in the past few weeks. It would also seem that he has been having quite a few dealings with the King of Arkansas, Peter Threadgill as well."

This was not good. Now not just one, but at least two vampire monarchs knew about me and what I could do. Did this mean that he was going to be coming for me too? How could Eric fight not one, but two states worth of vampires that wanted me? I would die if anything were to ever happen to Eric.

My concentration slipped as these thoughts ran through my mind and my shields that had been holding up better than ever all nigh crumbled into nothing. The few minds that were still here bombarded me and I couldn't handle it. My head started to spin and everything went black.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N So here is my third story update in the past week. The cold weather is keeping me motivated so I don't freeze to death. Right now it is 0 degrees out. That makes me want to hybernate until June when True Blood comes back. Leave me some love, it's makes me feel all warm and fuzzy!

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><p>When I came to I wasn't in Eric's office anymore, I was home in my own bed. I looked around and Eric was lying next to me. He was looking down at me and stroking my hair. "Are you all right little one?"<p>

I moved closer to him and lay my head on his chest. "I'm much better now."

"Sookie, I'm not going to let anybody take you. Every monarch on this continent could want you and try to take you, but they all would fail."

I wrapped my arms around him as tight as I could. "How can you be sure?"

He slid his arms around me and held me tight. "Because I love you Sookie Stackhouse." My head snapped up at his words. "I am in love with you. The thought of anyone else touching you or taking you tears me up inside. I won't let you go, I can't. I could try to fight it, but it would be absolutely pointless. I love you."

I couldn't stop the tears from falling down my face. It didn't matter what came after us or what else was going to happen, in that moment I was happier than I had ever been in my entire life. I scrambled up onto my knees so I could get closer to him. I threw my arms around his neck as he sat up and kissed him all over his face. "Oh Eric!" I kissed him hard on the lips and pushed all of the love and passion I had for him into that kiss.

When I needed to breath I pulled away and held his face in my hands. I looked him in the eye with all of the conviction I could and said, "Eric Northman, I love you more than words can say and I want to form a bond with you. I want it more than anything and it's not because of all the shit that is happening around us, it's because I want to be as close to you as I possibly can, closer than I've ever been to anyone else in the world."

"Are you really sure Sookie, one hundred percent positive?"

"I've never been more sure about anything in my entire life." I ran my hands over his face and down his neck. "When can we start?"

He grabbed me around the waist and pinned me gently under him. "How does right now sound?"

"I think that sounds perfect." He leaned down to kiss me, but I stopped him. "Eric, can I ask you something first?"

"Of course little one, you can ask me anything."

"Can we not make love until the bond is completed, say Monday night when the bar is closed? I want to make the night special for both of us."

"Of course Lover, but no matter what it will be special for me."

I looked up at him with a smile on my face. "Are we both crazy for doing this? We haven't even know each other a week yet."

"It's not crazy, it's fate little one. I think that you were meant to come into my bar that night."

I let his words wash over me and this warm, comforting feeling was building inside of me. "I think that you are right." I rested my hand on his cheek. "So how do we start our bond?"

He sat up against the headboard and pulled me up against him so that my back was against his chest. He wrapped his arm around my waist so I was as close to him as I could get. "I'll bite my wrist for you to feed from, then I'll bite your neck to feed from you."

I quickly pulled away from him and turned so that I was straddling him. "No, I want to look at you as we do this. You can feed from my wrist while I feed from yours."

"I can work with that, but it would work better if you took your dress off."

I smiled at the sexy smirk he had on his face. "Well, I'll do that if you take off your shirt. It's only fair for you to do that."

"I'm more than willing to remove my shirt for you Lover."

We quickly removed our clothes so that he was sitting there in his jeans and I was in my undergarments. I thought it would be more fair if he removed his jeans as well, but that would be pushing both of our limits on waiting until Monday night to make love. I really wanted to wait and make everything perfect.

When we were ready I straddled his lap again and got as close to him as I could. I watched as he bit into his wrist and when he held it to my lips I held mine out for him to bite. I latched on without hesitation and drank his blood down with gusto. I had expected it to taste bitter and metallic, but it didn't. It tasted like rich chocolate with a hint of something in the background that I couldn't identify, but that I knew was purely Eric.

As Eric bit into my wrist I felt a warmth spread throughout me. I looked him in the eye as we drank from each other. His eyes turned almost black, but I still felt safe and protected and loved. I also felt a little bubble for deep down inside of me that was now a part of me that hadn't been there before. It was Eric. I could feel that it was him, but it was just a hint, like a voice calling to you from a great distance. Even thought it was small, it was a great comfort to me and I knew that it would be even better when our bond was complete.

I was taking a deep pull from his wrist when I felt the wound start to close. I wanted to bite down to get more of his delicious blood, but I knew that I'd had enough for now and I would have more soon. I pulled my mouth away from the wound and used my tongue to lap up every last drop.

Eric pulled his mouth away from my wrist and I realized that at some point I had started grinding against him and I was still doing it. I could feel him growing harder under me and I really wished that he had less clothes on right now. "Sookie, you need to stop."

I slid my hands over his sides, across his stomach and up to his chest. "What if I don't want to?"

"Little one, if you want to wait until Monday to make love, then you really need to stop."

I looked down at the bulge between his legs and I smiled up at him. I slid my hands down his chest to the edge of his jeans. "Why don't I help you with this." I slowly unzipped his pants and his gracious plenty sprang out at me all hard and ready. I wanted to kiss him while I got him off, so I wrapped one hand around the gracious plenty and the other I wrapped in his hair. I tugged him close to kiss him and I started stroking him at the same time. I squeezed as I stroked him, twisting up and down. I could feel him tense so I sped up as he was clawing at the bed sheets so that he wouldn't hurt me.

I stroked him faster and harder until I felt his cool seed spray all over my bare stomach. It was an odd sensation, but not an unpleasant one. I kept kissing him for a few minutes as he calmed down, then he scooped me up into his arms. I couldn't stop myself from giggling and wrapping my arms around his neck as he carried me into the bathroom. He set me down on the edge of the tub as he started filling it up and adding lots of bubble bath.

I couldn't stop touching him or smiling as the tub filled. "I can feel you."

Eric looked up at me shocked. "You can feel me already?"

"Yeah. It's a little blip deep down inside of me, but I can still feel you. You are very content and happy right now. It's warm and comforting to me and it makes me feel safe. Can you feel me too?"

"Yes I can. You are very happy right now." He turned off the water and slowly removed what little clothing I was still wearing and lifted me into the tub.

He knelt next to the tub, lathered up my bath sponge with some lavender scented body wash and gently started cleaning me up. I put my hand on his arm to stop him. "Eric, what are you doing?"

"I just trying to get you ready for bed Lover. I thought this would help you relax so you could go right to sleep after."

I slid my hands up his arms leaving a trail of bubbles on his skin. "I would be much happier if you get in this tub with me."

"Sookie, I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Please Eric." I slid my hand over his chest so he was even more covered in bubbles.

"All right Lover." He stood up and removed his jeans. I couldn't keep my eyes off of him as he stepped into the tub behind me. "See something you like little one?"

"Uh-huh." He smiled at me as he continued washing me from head to toe then I did the same for him.

After we were both clean I would have been happy to stay in the tub and cuddle for awhile, but the water was starting to get cold and I was starting to shiver. Eric drained the tub, then lifted me out of the water. He set me down long enough to get a towel and dry me off, then wrapped a dry towel around my waist. He dried himself off at vamp speed, then lifted me back into his arms and carried me back to bed. The events of the day were starting to catch up to me, so I knew that it wouldn't take long for me to fall asleep.

I curled up in bed and watched Eric through half opened eyes. He walked into the closet and was going to get dressed and I didn't like that at all. "Are you going someplace?"

"I was going to get dressed and head back to my place."

"Why? I don't want you to go." I knew that I was whining, but I didn't want to be away from him right now.

He looked over at me and it seemed he was surprised that I didn't want him to leave. "You're tired little one. You need your rest."

"I will rest once you're in this bed with me. I sleep better when you are next to me. I feel better when I know you're close. Please stay."

I watched his internal fight for a moment, before he gave in. "All right Lover, I'll stay with you." I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face as I watched him change the jeans he was going to put on for a pair of black, silk sleep pants. He slid them on, then got into bed next to me. I pulled off my damp towel, tossed it aside, then curled up next to him as close as I could get.

I felt his hand on my hip, then I felt him slip it between my legs. Hello! "You know Lover, I just realized that I have enjoyed pleasure this evening, but you haven't." He slid his fingers into my wet folds and I couldn't stop myself from moaning and arching into his touch. "Do you like that little one? Do you like the way that I touch you?"

"Uh-huh." He slid two fingers inside of me while rubbing my clit with his thumb. "Oh God, Eric that feels so good."

"This is only the beginning Lover. Just wait until Monday night when I will finally be buried deep inside of this sweet and tight pussy of yours."

"Eric, uh, more, talk to me more."

"Oh, my Lover likes a little dirty talk does she?"

"Yes, oh God Eric yes, more please."

He pushed his fingers in a little deeper inside of me until he his my g-spot. "Just wait until my big, hard, throbbing cock is buried inside of you instead of my fingers Lover. I'm going to stretch you and fill you in the best way possible, then I am going to pound into you and fuck you into oblivion." I was moaning and writhing and so very close to coming next to him. "Then when I am done fucking you I am going to bury my head between your perfect thighs and drink up every drop of your sweet nectar that I can get." He sped up his motions and my whole body spasmed in the most intense orgasm that I had ever had.

As I was slowly coming down from that amazing high, I reach out and clung to Eric. "Hold me Eric, please hold me."

He pulled me into his arms and held me tight. "I've got you little one. Let go and fall asleep and I'll be here when you wake up." In moments that's exactly what I did.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N My second story update today. I have decided to forgo sleep to write, well at least for now. A little warning, towards the end of this chapter is a bit of torture, so if you don't like that just skip it and also if you are a Bill Fan you'll want to skip it too. I am completely Anti-Bill and I have been since I first started reading the books. I started with Club Dead, so by that time Bill was already mostly out of the picture and that was fine with me. Also it's not just Eric doing the torturing. I want Sookie to show that she's not weak like people think she is. So there you have it. Leave me some love, it makes me smile when you do. Enjoy!

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><p>Over the weekend I slept peacefully with no dreams. Apparently Nessa didn't need to speak to me since Eric was with me and we were going to bond. Friday night after work Eric took me out for a late night supper where I had lobster dripping in butter, French onion soup an crème Brule for dessert. The food was delicious and a new experience for me. I'd never eaten anything like that and I'd added the whole meal to my list of favorite foods. Eric promised that he would take me out more often. I liked that idea.<p>

Saturday night we had out second blood exchange. Eric thought it would better to have a day in between exchanges so we would have time to cool down in between. It was completely insane to think that that would work. Somehow we both ended up naked and came very, very close to having sex that night. Eric was actually the one who kept us from going all the way. He knew that I would be upset if we didn't wait. I was personally upset at the time that he stopped us, but the next morning I was grateful for it.

Sunday night was slower than normal and seemed to go on forever. It was busy early on in the night, then it slowed to a crawl earlier than normal. While I was doing busy work, wiping down counters and tables that were already clean, filling up napkin holders and listening to the few people that were there, I couldn't keep my eyes from glancing over at Eric every chance that I got. I could feel him even more now, it was only a little bit louder than before, but it made me anxious in the best possible way to know what it would feel like to have a complete bond with him.

I could feel that he was bored sitting up on his throne, so I decided to think about doing something special for him to make him smile. My thoughts were pulled away from that pleasantness when I felt a chill run down my spine as someone came through the door. I slowly turned around and was met with the sight of Bill Compton walking into the bar.

Seeing him made the horrible images that Nessa showed me come to the front of my mind in full force. I wanted to run to Eric or as far away as I could, but I wouldn't show fear in front of him. I could feel when Eric saw him and I was afraid that he would cause a scene, so I sent him calm through our weak bond, but it wasn't enough for him to sit back down in his throne.

I straightened my spine and went back to my tables. I was getting an order filled at the bar when I felt somebody come up next to me. I didn't have to look to know who it was. My skin was crawling so it could only be one person. "Sookie, what a pleasant surprise it is to see you here."

"Mr. Compton, I'm not comfortable with you addressing me in such familiar terms. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work."

"I beg your pardon Miss Stackhouse. I was wondering if I might have a moment alone to speak with you."

He was completely mental. "I assure you that that will not be happening Mr. Compton." I turned and looked at him without a trace of fear in my eyes or in my voice. "I know what you were planning to do to me Mr. Compton and so does my bonded mate. If you ever think about coming near me, you will live to regret it."

I couldn't believe that it was possible, but he grew even paler hearing my words. "Who are you bonded to?"

"Me asshole." I turned around and Eric was right there behind me. He slid his arms around me and pulled me close to him.

"Why would you do something so stupid Sookie?"

Before I realized that he moved, Eric had pulled away from me and had Mr. Compton by the throat and dangling three feet off of the ground. "How dare you be so familiar and insulting to my Lover. I think that you and I need to have a little chat Billy boy." He tightened his grip around Billy's neck. "Lover, Mr. Compton and I have some business to attend to, but I should be done before closing."

I was pretty sure that the "business" Eric was talking about was beating the shit out of Billy boy, but I really didn't have it in me to care. He was planning on taking me against my will and if somebody didn't do something about it he would just keep coming after me until he got me. "Okay Eric. This won't ruin our plans for tomorrow nigh will it?"

He reached up with his free hand and stroked my cheek. "Nothing is going to spoil our plans tomorrow." He leaned down and kissed me gently on the lips. I could feel that kiss all the way down to my toes. I wanted to pull Eric to a nice quiet spot and make out with him for awhile, but we were both busy. "I will see you later Lover."

"Okay." I watched him disappear out back with Billy and I went back to tending to my tables.

The rest of the night dragged on, so I spent some time organizing the Fangtasia merchandise, dusting anything that I could find and organizing the bottles of alcohol and True Blood.

By the time closing time came around everything was done. Pam sent everybody else home and fixed me a gin and tonic while we waited for Eric. I could feel Eric was taking great pleasure in what he was doing downstairs and that was peeking my curiosity. I downed my drink in a few gulps, then headed for the basement. Pam was quickly in front of me to stop me. "Sookie, I don't think that you want to go down there."

"Pam, I'm not so naïve that I don't understand what is going on down there. I know that Eric had probably beaten him to a pulp and is taking great pleasure in it. I'm hoping maybe I can take a whack at him myself."

"Sookie…"

"Pam, I dreamt about what that bastard had planned for me. He was going to take me to your queen, rape me and violate me until my pelvis was broken, then he would keep going before sharing me with every other vampire in the room. I think it might do me some good to take some of my untapped aggression out on that little maggot."

I watched a smile appear on Pam's face. "What I was going to say is that I see why my master is so taken with you. You'd make a wonderful vampire someday."

I let her last statement roll around in my head as I made my way downstairs. Less than a week ago the thought of becoming a vampire was not appealing to me at all, but now I wasn't so sure. I loved Eric and he was willing to do anything for me to protect me. Maybe it would be better if I became a vampire. I would be better able to protect myself and maybe, just maybe people would stop wanting to take me away. I couldn't think about this now, I had a maggot to check on.

I opened the door to the basement and as I started down the steps I could already smell blood and I could hear muffled screams from coming down there. A part of me thought that I should be afraid and that I really didn't want to see this, but I wasn't and I wanted to see what my beloved had done.

I continued down the steps and stopped at the landing that overlooked the basement. I could see that Eric was covered in blood and was working very meticulously. I could see that he was wearing gloves and he was using a razor blade to remove the skin from Billy's body. He was also applying some kind of salve that was keeping him from healing. I assumed that it had some kind of silver in it.

I should have turned and run away at the scene in front of me, but I wasn't disgusted, I was intrigued and even the tiniest bit turned on. "Eric?"

He turned to look at me and I saw that his eyes were huge and black. "Lover, what are you doing down here?"

"It's almost three a.m. I wanted to make sure that you were okay and see if you were ready to go home."

"Of course my love. Let me just finish what I'm doing here and I'll meet you upstairs."

I pulled my gaze away from Eric and looked around the room. There was a tray full of what appeared to be surgical instruments that I assumed were made of silver. I could feel Eric's eyes on me as I went over and picked up a scalpel. "Eric, how would you feel about me taking a stab at Mr. Compton here?"

I could see that he was fighting to keep a smile off of his face and he managed quite well. "Lover, I don't think that's a good idea."

"You're just saying that because you want him all to yourself."

He quirked that sexy eyebrow at me and I had to resist the overwhelming urge to jump him and lick it. "What did you have in mind my angel?"

"I feel the need to show Billy here that I'm not as weak as people think that I am." I stood next to Eric and squeezed his shoulder. "You might now want to stick around to see what I have in mind."

"Ooo, I am intrigued now. Let me just run upstairs real quick to wash up and I'll be right back." He was gone and back in less than two minutes.

"Do you have a pair of gloves for me to wear?" He went over to the table the instruments were on, pulled a pair of gloves from a lower drawer and handed them to me. "Thank you Sweetie." He leaned down and kissed me on the lips, then went to stand off to the side while I focused on Billy Boy.

I slid the gloves on, not because I needed to avoid touching the silver, but because I planned on doing something were I would be touching him and I wasn't about to do that with my bare hands. I removed the gag from his mouth and looked up at him with total and utter disgust. "Good evening Billy."

He growled at being called that. "So you're his whore now, is that it?"

Without thinking I reached up and sliced him across the face with the scalpel. "I understand you wanted me as your whore and the Queen's as well, but that's not what I am and not what I am ever going to be. I am Eric's of my own free will and there is nothing that you can do to change that."

"That's what you think. The Queen will have you and your precious Viking will meet the true death."

I was getting seriously pissed off and couldn't control my actions. I reached up, shoved the scalpel in his eye, twisted it and pulled it back out with the eyeball attached to it. I could see that he wanted to scream in agony, but he wouldn't give me the satisfaction. I dropped the eyeball on the floor and crushed it under my boot. I could feel Eric's enjoyment over what I'd just done, but I didn't have time to think about him right now.

I turned back to Billy, grabbed his hair and held the scalpel against his neck. "Look you stupid son of a bitch, I heard you yelling at the Rattrays the night that you came into Merlotte's. You almost got me, but your own stupidity was and is your downfall." I let go of his hair and slid the scalpel down his bare chest to the edge of his boxer shorts, the only piece of clothing he had on his body. "Do you get off on raping women Billy?" He looked shocked at what I'd said, but didn't say anything in return. "I'll take your silence as a yes since I know that you were planning on taking me and raping me." I slowly slid his boxer shorts down while looking him in the eye. I could feel Eric's irritation over what I was doing, so I sent him calm, love and disgust through our bond so that he would know that I wasn't enjoying looking at the man naked.

When his shorts were down I finally caught a glimpse of what Billy was "packing" and I couldn't stop the laughter that escaped my lips. Eric's fingers were bigger than that. I could hear Eric laughing from behind me and that made me laugh even harder. If the floor had been any cleaner I would have rolled around on it and laughed even harder.

I was pulled out of my laughing fit by another growl coming from Billy Boy. I reined my amusement in and focused on what I was about to do. "I don't know you very well and I'm glad about that, but what I do know is that you are an evil, vile creature and you deserve to suffer." With one quick slice I chopped of his dick, then with two more quick slices his balls followed. This time he couldn't contain his screams, but I didn't care.

I dropped the scalpel on the floor along with my gloves. I turned towards Eric and he was standing there with his mouth hanging open and shock on his face. I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his waist. "Sweetie, can we go home now?"

The sound of my voice was enough to bring him out of his shock. "Of course Lover." He scooped me up into his arms and carried me upstairs. He stopped in his office to grab my purse, then carried my out to my car. He got my keys, sat in the driver's seat and took me home.


	19. Chapter 19

We were both quiet on the ride home. I could feel that Eric's emotions were all over the place right now and mine weren't much better. There was a part of me that knew that I should be upset because of what I had done to Billy boy tonight, but I just couldn't bring myself to be upset. He was an asshole and had gotten what he deserved.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even realize that we'd gotten home until Eric had opened my door. He lifted me into his arms and carried me inside. I was perfectly fine with that. It had been a long day and I really just wanted to be close to him right now.

He carried me up to what I was beginning to think of as our room. He set me down on the bed before disappearing into the bathroom. He came back a moment later and I could hear the tub filling up. He lifted me back up and carried me into the bathroom. "Let's get you cleaned up Lover. You have blood in your hair."

"Eric, are you all right with what I did tonight?"

He set me down on the counter and started removing my blood splattered clothes. "The biggest thing that I was worried about was that you would regret what you did. I am still worried that you will regret what you have done."

He pulled my dress over my head and tossed it into the laundry. Before he could remove my undergarments I grabbed his hands so that he would look at me. "Eric, I'm not going to regret castrating that son of a bitch. He deserved it and I can't and won't feel bad about it." I leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips and he accepted what I'd said. He finished undressing me and gently moved me into the tub. He remained fully clothed as he washed the blood off of me. I really wanted him to join me, but I knew that he wasn't going to and I was feeling tired anyway and wanted to get rested up for tomorrow night.

I looked up at the man who was gently and lovingly washing me from head to toe. It was hard for me to believe that we had gotten so close in such a short period of time. I was so in love with him because of his kindness and his generosity for taking care of me when he didn't have to. The fact that he was gorgeous was just icing on the cake.

When I was clean he lifted me out of the tub and dried me off, then carried me out and set me on the bed. He grabbed one of his button down shirts and slide that on me as a nightgown. I liked having his scent all around me like that, so I didn't mind.

He got me into bed, then disappeared into the bathroom. I could hear the shower going and I was very tempted to go and join him, but I was nice and cuddled up where I was, so I stayed put.

When he came out I was hoping that he would be all glistening and wet in just a towel, but he came out dressed in jeans and a tank top. I wanted to tell him to strip and get in this bed and cuddle with me, but we had agreed that since we were going to complete our bond tomorrow night and I wanted it to be special, he was going to spend the day at his place so that I could get everything ready.

He sat down on the bed to put his shoes on and I got on my knees and went over to him. I wrapped my arms around him and kissed his bare shoulder. "I am going to miss you."

"I'll miss you as well Lover, but I am looking forward to tomorrow night."

"Because you'll finally get to have your way with me?"

He pulled me around so that I was sitting in his lap. "No, I'm looking forward to it because I will finally be fully connected to you. I can feel you now, but not fully. It feels like I'm missing something and I know that it's having you inside of me."

"I feel the same way. I can hardly wait."

"So what do you have planned during the day tomorrow Lover?"

"Well, I am going to be very busy getting pampered. I'm going to be getting a massage and a facial, I'm getting my hair done and I'm getting a manicure and a pedicure. I want to be totally relaxed for tomorrow night."

"I won't even be able to recognize you after all of that Lover."

"Oh I think that you'll recognize me just fine. Hey, should I eat before you come over tomorrow?"

"Why don't you have a big lunch, and I'll take care of a late dinner for you."

"I would love that." I leaned in and kissed his lips. I meant for it to only be a peck, but I couldn't resist deepening the kiss. He was the most amazing kisser, well up until he pulled away. "Hey we was kissing here. Why did you stop?"

He lifted me up and got me tucked back into bed. "Because I have to go now."

I kept my arms locked around his neck. "I want you to stay."

"I know you do. I want to stay as well, but one night apart is not going to hurt us. It will make tomorrow night even more special."

"My head understands that, it's my heart that's having all the trouble." I let go of him and looked him in the eye. "I love you Eric Northman."

"And I love you Sookie Stackhouse." We kissed one last time before I let him go completely. As ridiculous as it sounds, my heart broke a little as I watched him walk out the door. I knew that it was silly and that he would be back tomorrow night and he wasn't far away if I really needed him, but that was how I felt. I had a few tears falling from my eyes as I drifted off to sleep.

For the first time in days Nessa came to visit me. I could see the smile on her face and she embraced me in my living room, but I could tell that something was troubling her. "Oh Sookie, you absolutely amaze me. You have done the impossible in less time than even I expected. I am so happy for you."

"But I can see that something is troubling you Nessa. What is it?"

"Bill Compton has opened his big, stupid mouth to more than just the King of Arkansas. You did wonderfully with him by the way. There are others out there who are going to try to find you. You need to have Amelia ward your home for you. It will not be a permanent solution to your problems, but it will keep you safe for now."

I could feel the panic building inside of me. "What will be a permanent solution? I don't want to live like this Nessa, looking over my shoulder at every corner, waiting for someone to try to take me. How can I stop this? All I want is a little peace with my Viking. Is that really so much to ask for?"

"Of course not Sookie, but you are special. You were born that way and have always been special." She turned away from me and I knew that there was something that she wasn't telling me.

"What Nessa? If there is any way to protect myself I'll do it, no matter what the cost."

She turned back towards me and I could see the turmoil in her eyes. She was fighting with herself on whether she should tell me or not. It took a few minutes before I saw the resolve come over her face. "I don't know if you are ready to hear this or pay the price for your safety."

"Please Nessa, just tell me."

She took a deep breath before she spoke. "You would be safer if you were to become a vampire."

I'd had similar thoughts, but was I really ready to become a vampire? Did I even really want to become one at all?

I looked Nessa in the eye and asked her the one question that I needed the answer to more than anything. "Will Eric still love me if I become a vampire?" Just being away from him for a few hours broke my heart, I wouldn't be able to handle an eternity if he wouldn't still love me.

"Oh Sookie." She came over and pulled me into her arms. "He will love you no matter what, but I have seen different paths leading you to becoming a vampire and also paths if you stay human. There is no certainty in those visions, one decision could change everything, but that is one thing that never changes."

I pull away from her embrace enough so that I can look into her eyes. "What do you think that I should do?"

"Oh my sweet girl, I can't do that. You need to decide this for yourself. I can show you what may happen to help guide you, but I can't make the decision for you." She took my face in her hands and looked deep into my eyes. "I don't want you to worry about this now, this is something for you to think about in the coming weeks. Have Amelia work her magic while you relax and get ready for your Viking. Enjoy him fully and completely and worry about what I've suggested another day little one. You are both safe for now."

Another worry came to me then. "What if I'm not good enough? What if I'm just not enough for him? What if he gets bored with me and wants another?"

"That my little one is something that you will never have to worry about. You have touched a part of him that he never thought would be touched again: his heart. You came to him when you needed him and now he wants to protect you and he will do anything to keep you safe." She brushed my hair back and smiled down at me. "Now it's time for you to sleep so that you will be well rested for your Viking. He plans on thoroughly exhausting you." I smiled up at her and everything around me vanished as I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

I woke up the next morning with a smile on my face and excitement running through me. I wanted it to be nightfall, but it was only eleven in the morning. I had all day to wait, but I was going to be busy so hopefully it would pass quickly. My spa appointment wasn't until one, so I had plenty of time to pay Amelia a visit and have that big lunch that Eric suggested. I went in the bathroom, did my business and changed into a tank top and a pair of yoga pants. I got my purse making sure that I had everything, I slipped on a pair of sandals and I was on my way.

I pulled up in front of Amelia's shop less than fifteen minutes later and found her waiting out there for me. I got out and went up to her with a smile on my face. "Hey Amelia."

"Hi Sookie."

"Are you waiting for me?"

"Yes, but I haven't been waiting long."

"Do you know why I'm here?"

"You need me to ward your house for you. I would be happy to and I can even ward your car if you want. It will keep people from being able to follow you."

"I would love for you to do that for me. I was already followed once, I really don't want that to happen again."

"I would have done this for you sooner, but I needed some special herbs that I had to order and they took longer than expected to get here." She pulled a little pouch out of her pocket, then got in to the passenger seat. "I'm going to put this in your glove compartment. Do not take it out."

"Gotcha."

"This will only take a couple of minutes."

"Okay." I stood back and watched as she worked her magic and it wasn't long before the whole thing started to glow. There were a few people around us in the strip mall, but it didn't seem like they even noticed. Got to love magic.

It didn't take her long to be finished and standing beside me. "All set." She put her hand on my arm and I could feel her magic around me. It only lasted a few seconds, but it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. "Do you want me to do the house now?"

"Yeah, do you need to do anything inside the house?"

"Nope, I can do everything outside. It will be all set when you get home." She pulled me into a hug. "Enjoy the spa and you enjoy that Viking later tonight. Take a ride for me, will you." I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks. Amelia just smiled at me as she went over to her car, got in and drove away. I pushed the thoughts of riding my Viking out of my mind for now and headed for the restaurant.

It wasn't far away and since it wasn't quite time for the lunch rush yet I was able to enjoy my meal in relative peace. I had a steak, baked potato, Caesar salad, and a bowl of minestrone soup. Everything was delicious and I was pleasantly full as I headed for the spa.

I went inside and was taken right in to my appointment. My massage and facial were heavenly and it was easier than normal for me to keep my shields up even with her touching me.

I was completely relaxed as I was having my manicure and pedicure. I picked out a deep shade of red nail polish and I even decided to go all out and get a set of acrylic nails to put on. I'd never really been able to afford them before and working around greasy food didn't really mix with pretty nails. Now that I was just serving drinks and because I wanted to look extra special for Eric tonight I thought it was a good time to give it a try.

I had my hair trimmed and styled in an up do that would leave my neck bare. I wanted Eric to have easy access later tonight. As I looked in the mirror when the woman was finished it didn't even look like me anymore. Before I looked more like a girl in a woman's body, now I looked like a woman though and through. I left the spa feeling very good about myself.

When I got home and pulled into the garage I could feel the magic and my fairy necklace that I had almost I'd forgot that I was wearing because it just seemed like a part of me now, started to glow. With my necklace glowing I felt a sense of peace come over me. My house was completely safe for now and that was all that I really wanted.

I went inside and saw that it was a little after six. Eric wasn't going to be here until after nine, so I had plenty of time to get ready and everything I wanted set up. I went up to the bedroom and changed the sheets on the bed. I put on a set of red silk sheets and loaded it up will dozens of pillows. I had always wanted a huge bed with lots of pillows.

I set up candles all over the room, then I went into the bathroom to take a bath. I wanted to get squeaky clean and I didn't want to get my hair wet. I made sure that I was clean and smooth all over, then I got out, dried off and applied my favorite vanilla body lotion all over.

When I finished in the bathroom I went to the closet and pulled out the outfit that I was going to wear tonight. It was a white, silk baby doll gown that barely covered my lady bits, with a matching floor length sheer robe and thong panties. I finished of the ensemble with a pair of white thigh high stocking and a pair of white high heels.

As I was dressing I couldn't stop thinking about Eric undressing me later on tonight. My whole body grew warm instantly and I could feel the moisture pooling between my legs. Nine o'clock better hurry up and get here.

At quarter to nine I went into the bathroom and did my makeup. I didn't want anything to heavy so I just stuck with some dark eye shadow that brought out the blue in my eyes, some mascara and lip gloss. I checked my hair to make sure that it was still good, then I went back out into the bedroom and started lighting the candles. I turned off the lights when I was done and it was perfect in here.

I was adjusting the pillows on the bed when I heard Eric come in downstairs. "I'm here Lover."

A smile spread across my face just from hearing his voice. I wanted to run downstairs and jump into his arms, but I would probably kill myself in these heels. I took a deep breath to calm myself and walked out in the hall. I stopped at the top of the stairs and posed as seductively as I could. "I'm up here handsome." He appeared at the bottom of the stairs and my pose must have worked. As he looked up at me his mouth dropped open and his fangs were extended. I think that I just left the big, badass, Viking sheriff speechless.

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><p>AN I know I am so horrible for stopping there, but there was a lot going on in this chapter and I thought that was a good place to stop. Next chapter LEMONS! I have never waited so long to write lemons into a story before. You guys better leave me lots of love so that I make it extra special good!


	20. Chapter 20

A/N I really have no excuse for why this update took me so long, so I am going to shut up and leave you to it. Leave me some love when you are done.

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><p>I slowly walked down the stairs so I wouldn't fall on my face and stopped in front of my Viking. We were eye to eye since I was still on the stairs. I reached over and closed his mouth. "You're catching flies Mr. Northman. I take that to mean you approve of my appearance for the evening?" He just nodded his head and I could feel my smile growing bigger. "Have you completely lost your ability to speak?" He shook his head no. "Well then could you please say something?"<p>

"You look like an angel right now and I don't deserve you."

That was definitely not what I was expecting him to say. "Oh Eric, you deserve me and right now I may look like an angel, but I'm feeling rather devilish." I reached down and took his hand in mine. "Come on and see what I've done." I started back upstairs and I could feel his eyes on me the whole time. I liked that he was looking at me, but I was hoping that his eyes on me would soon change to his hands on me.

I led him into our bedroom and when I let go of his hand he stepped up behind me and slid his arms around my waist. "You really do want this to be special, don't you Lover?"

"Yes I do." He was stroking my belly, just below my breasts and I wanted him to move his hands up to cup my breasts or down between my legs, hell I wanted him to touch me all over. "Touch me Eric."

"I am touching you Lover."

I turned around in his arms and slid my hands up his red, silk shirt that fit him like a second skin. "Yes you are, but not the right way. We've had days of foreplay. I'm ready for the main event now." I pressed myself against him to let him know exactly what I meant.

He slid his hands under my robe and slid them down to cup my ass. "Lover, there is no such thing as too much foreplay and I am not about to rush this night. You are giving me a very special gift tonight and I want it to be enjoyable for you and I personally want to savior the experience as well." I couldn't help but pout at his words. I wanted him now. Eric was quick to lean down and kiss my pout away. "Now none of that Lover. This is going to be a night that you will never, ever forget." He kissed my neck and it sent a shiver down my spine. "Are you cold Lover?"

"No, I'm the exact opposite right now. I have never felt so hot before."

He smiled as he slid his hands up my body. "Well my love, I think that we should get you out of these clothes if you are so hot." He slowly slid my sheer robe down my arms letting it fall to the ground, the he pulled my gown over my head and tossed it aside. "You are so beautiful."

I smiled up at him as I started unbuttoning his shirt. "You are over dressed Mr. Northman. I think that we need to remedy that right away." With each button that I undid I kissed his cold, hard chest, but when I tried to pull his shirt all the way of he stopped me.

"That's enough for now Lover." He swept me up into his arms and lay me down on the bed. "Tonight is special for you and I need to prepare you so that I won't hurt you."

I really wanted to argue with him that I didn't care about the pain, that I just needed him inside of me, but I knew that he was right. I pulled him down for a kiss, then I looked up into his eyes. "I trust you." I leaned back on the bed making sure that I was comfortable. "Do with me what you will Viking." He gave me a fangy smile before removing his shirt and shoes, then went about servicing me.

He got up on the bed with me and slid his hands slowly and thoroughly over every inch of my body before settling in between my legs. He kissed the inside of each of my thighs before kissing above the tuft of blond curls between my legs. He slid his fingers through my wet folds and I couldn't stop the moan that escaped my lips. "You are so wet for me Lover. Is that all for me? Are you this wet just for me?"

The way that he was touching me was making it difficult for me to speak, but I had to answer him. "Oh yes Baby, only for you. Just being near you makes me wet."

He slowly pulled his hand away and I was on the verge of tears. "Well then I guess I don't need to touch you anymore."

"Baby, please don't tease me. I love you, I need you , please." I couldn't stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks. I needed him more than anything right now.

He was quick to slid up beside me and kiss away my tears while his hand went back between my legs. "I'm sorry to tease you my love. I won't do it again tonight. I love you so much and I hate to see you cry." I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him close. He kissed me deeper as he slid first one, then a second finger inside of me. It was a bit of a snug fit, but it felt absolutely amazing.

He stretched his fingers inside of me while his started rubbing my clit with his thumb. He moved his lips down to my neck, sucking as he went. He didn't have his fangs out, but it still felt good. He was marking me as his and I really liked it. I wouldn't care if he marked ever inch of my body as long as he kept touching me like this and making me feel this good.

He sped up his fingers inside of me and I could feel my orgasm building. I grabbed onto his forearms digging my nails in to make sure that he kept going. "Come for me Lover. I want to feel your juices all over my fingers." He kept stretching me and rubbing my clit and I couldn't hold back anymore.

My body arched up as my whole body tensed with my orgasm. I felt a sharp pain inside of me, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. The pleasure from my orgasm was enough to override any pain.

As my body started to come down from the amazing pleasure, I looked up at my Viking with a smile on my face, until I saw that he was licking blood off of his fingers. "Eric?"

I knew that when he looked down he could see the worry on my face because of the blood, but he was quick to put my worries to rest. "Not to worry my love. I tore your maidenhead while you were coming so that when I enter you for the first time it will be less painful.

That was good to know and I was more than ready for that to happen. "Is it time for that now Eric?"

He smiled as he slid down my body to between my legs. "Not quite yet Lover." He stuck out his tongue and licked up my slit to my clit sending a wonderful shiver through my entire body. "I think that you should have one more orgasm before we really get started."

I wanted to tell him that I was already more than ready for him, but before I could he went to work with that magical tongue of his. I grasped his hair in my fists and wrapped my legs around his neck. "Oh fuck Eric, that feels so fucking good. Don't you even think about stopping." I could feel him smirk against me, but he quickly went back to work with his tongue. My body was quickly building up again, so I focused on what he was doing to me.

He started moving his tongue at vampire speed and I couldn't hold myself back any longer. I pressed myself as close to him as I could as my orgasm racked through my entire body. I could feel sweat dripping down between my breasts and down my back and I was feeling a bit tired from the two orgasms he had already given me, but rest would just have to wait. It was finally time to go all the way with my vampire.

I kept my hands in his hair and pulled him up for a kiss. I could taste myself on his lips and instead of being put off by it, I was getting more turned on. I kissed him deeply until I needed to breath, then I looked up at him with pleading in my eyes. "Eric please, I need to feel you inside of me. I can't wait any longer." I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck and pulled him close. "Please baby, I need you now."

He gently stroked my face and kissed my lips. "Alright Lover, let's put you out of your misery."

"Thank you."

He caressed my body and whispered in my ear as he positioned himself above me. I couldn't understand what he was saying, but his voice sent pleasant shivers down my spine. He kept me distracted as he slowly slid inside of me. It was a tight fit at first, but there was no pain. He paused every inch or giving my body time to adjust to his size. I loved him all the more for doing that.

When he was finally all the way inside me I felt so full, but I also felt safe and loved having him so close to me. But he was staying still too long for my tastes now that he was where we both needed him to be. "Eric, I need you to move inside of me now. I'm ready for it, I need it baby."

He looked down into my eyes and kept that eye contact as he slowly started thrusting in and out of me. It was a new sensation for me, but it felt very, very good.

He slid his hands down my arms and took my hands in his as he started to pick up his pace. He moved just right inside of me and hit a spot that made me arch up against him. "Oh fuck! Shit Eric, do that again. That felt so fucking good."

That sexy smirk spread across his face as he slowly thrust back inside of me, rubbing against that spot the whole way in. "Is that what you wanted Lover?"

"Oh shit yeah, just like that, keep doing that." I dug my nails into his back and I could feel that I was drawing blood. I was afraid that I was hurting him, but it seemed that it was having the opposite effect on him. It spurred him on and he started moving even faster. Oh god that felt really good. Now that I knew how good this really felt, I might never let him out of this bed ever again.

Eric had moved down to my neck and I knew that he was close to coming. It was time for us to complete our bond. "Feed me Eric, let me drink your blood so that we can become one."

He quickly reached over and pulled a knife out of the nightstand. He quickly sliced himself just below his left nipple where his heart was and guided my head down to the wound. "Drink my love, take me inside of you." He didn't have to tell me twice.

I latched onto the wound and drank as deeply as I could as I felt him latch onto my neck. I knew the second that my blood hit his tongue. My body arched up and clenched tight as I felt our connection become complete. I could feel his pleasure as much as I could feel my own. The pleasure wasn't just mine or his, it was ours together. Our pleasure built rapidly and it wasn't long before we both came together.

We kept drinking from each other for another minute or two, me having had to re-bite the wound because I wanted more, and when we both pulled away we collapsed on the bed with blood on our lips and smiles on our face. I was panting and sweating and Eric was content to stay inside of me and on top of me. He was heavy, but I felt safe and protected under him.

I held onto him and let these new feelings inside of me wash over me. At first the feelings were all jumbled together, but after a few minutes of following them and being close to Eric I could tell his feelings from my own. It was like having a warm, protective, blanket inside of me and I liked it a lot.

After a few minutes of just holding each other, he looked into my eyes and leaned down to kiss me. "You are amazing Lover."

"You're not so bad yourself." He started to pull away from me, but I wouldn't let him go. "No, please stay."

"You must be sore Lover. I don't want you to be in pain."

I clutched him tightly and checked myself for any pain that I might have missed in my blissed out state. I smiled up at him as I spoke. "I have never felt better in my entire life. You're not going anywhere."

"If you are not in pain, then you need to sleep. I can feel that you are exhausted." He tried to roll away from me, but I stayed right where I was, now on top of him. Ooo, this was a whole new sensation and I could feel Eric grow harder inside of me(he'd never gone soft, and I knew that would never be possible with a human. Yay me!)

"Well Mr. Northman, I believe that I am getting a second wind." I slowly started to move up and down on top of him. He was able to go even deeper than before in this position. "Oh, I think that I like this position much better." I reached down and slid my hands over his chest. "I can feel that you like it even more as well."

He sat up more with me still attached to him. He slid his hands up my back, then around to cup my breasts and brush my nipples with his thumbs. That sent another shiver down my spine. I loved how he could so easily do that to me. "Lover, I adore touching you and making love to you, but you need your rest."

"I'll rest when you rest." I bounced up and down on him a few times. "I'm addicted to this now. One hit from you and now I never want to stop. If I'd known how good this felt I would have started much sooner." I paused and looked him in the eyes. "Or maybe it's just you."

He gripped onto my hips helping me to move on top of him. "It's just me Lover. No man, vampire or shifter can ever do for you and to you what I can and none ever will. You are mine."

"And you are mine too."

"We are each others. We belong to only each other from now on." And he spent the rest of the night showing me just how much.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N All I have to say is that real life is a bitch sometimes. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I have taken some creative liberties with a few things, just so you all know. Let me know what you think, it makes my day!

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><p>When I woke up the next day several things hit me right away. One, I was wrapped in my Viking's arms feeling safer than I ever had before, two I was absolutely ravenous with hunger, three I really need a human moment since my bladder felt like it was about to burst and four that was the most unusual and unsettling was that I was GLOWING! I knew that I hadn't been glowing last night at all, but now I could give the sun a run for it's money on the brightness scale. That would have to wait until after I'd had my morning pee.<p>

I pried myself out of Eric's arms, which took longer than I had expected, and when I was free I raced for the bathroom. I quickly took care of my human needs, then I looked myself over in the mirror. I heard that some woman did glow after having sex, but this was ridiculous. I was glowing from head to toe. There was no way that I could stay like this, so I did what I thought would be helpful. I turned the shower on as hot as I could stand it, I got in and I scrubbed myself from head to toe until my skin was raw.

I got out and as I dried myself off I realized that I was glowing even brighter now. "Son of a BITCH!" I wrapped the towel tightly around me and made my way downstairs after making sure that the bedroom was secure.

As I went downstairs I kept as far away from the windows as I couldn't. I didn't even want to think what would happen if somebody looked in and saw me like this. I went into the kitchen and found the picnic basket that Eric had brought with him last night that we hadn't gotten around to. I couldn't stop the blush that colored my cheeks just thinking about what we'd done last night. I quickly pushed those thoughts aside.

I went to the basket and was tempted to see what was inside, but I decided to save it for later. I made room for it in the fridge so whatever was inside wouldn't spoil, then I pulled out every kind of cheese and lunchmeat I had in there along with lettuce, tomato and pickles so I could make a huge sandwich to make my stomach happy. I had never felt so hungry in my life, so even in my glowing state I needed to eat.

I fixed myself the largest, triple decker sandwich that I had ever seen, then I got a tall glass of milk, some chips, and a bag of cookies to complete my meal. I took everything to the kitchen table, grabbing my fairy book on the way so I could try to find a way to fix myself. The last thing that I wanted was for Eric to wake up tonight and find me in the state. Who knows what he would do.

I devoured my food like I hadn't eaten in a week as I skimmed through my fairy book for anything that could explain my current condition. I was about half way when I found a passage about my glowiness. Apparently this was a common occurrence when fairies first get together with their chosen mate. My glow was the signal that I had chosen my mate and I would continue to glow until Eric and I completed the Fae mating ritual. I was okay with that until I actually read what the ritual entailed.

As I read the words I couldn't help but blush again and become aroused all at the same time. Eric and I were suppose to be intimate in some strange places that I didn't think would be possible, but apparently they were somehow. What we had to do was a big part of the ritual, so I was okay with what was mentioned in the book.

When I was finished I cleaned up my lunch mess, then I grabbed my fairy book and headed back upstairs to be closer to Eric. I walked into the dark bedroom and my glow was even more predominate, but at least it helped me find my way to the bed without turning on the light. I wanted to feel frustrated by my glow, but as I laid eyes on Eric on the bed, everything else just went out of my head.

I stopped at the side of the bed and looked at him in all of his naked glory. The sheet had slipped down below his waist and his gracious plenty was peeking out just begging me to touch it. I let the towel drop from around my still glowing body and I climbed up on the bed next to him. He was facing me and I couldn't stop myself from reaching out and touching him with my glowing hand. I stroked every inch of his chest and every other spot on him that I could reach.

I noticed that as I was touching Eric that he was starting to glow as well. I tried to pull away from him, I knew that I wasn't hurting him by doing this, so I thought I should, but I just couldn't. My hands just developed a mind of their own as they moved down and wrapped around the gracious plenty.

He was hard under my touch and he seemed to grow even harder as my glowing had made that part of him glow as well. It was so hypnotic to me, what I was doing that I failed to notice that Eric had woken up. I didn't even fully realize it until I was underneath him with him buried deep inside of me. "Oh fuck Eric, that feels so fucking good."

"This is what you get for being so greedy Lover. Teasing me when I'd dead for the day. I should punish you for being such a naughty girl."

I couldn't stop the images of him punishing my from invading my mind. I never thought that that type of thing would appeal to me, but I could feel myself growing wetter and wetter with every image. Twelve hours ago I was a virgin and now I felt like a harlot and I liked it. "Yes Eric, you should punish me, I have been a very naughty girl."

He was very pleased at my words. I could feel it in our bond and in the way he sped up his thrusts. My orgasm was fast approaching it's peak when he suddenly stopped. I wanted to scream out in frustration at him stopping, but he quickly flipped me over and slid into me from behind and started thrusting even harder than before.

Holy Shit! This was a new and totally amazing position that I liked the best so far. He was getting even deeper inside of me and it felt incredible. "Oh God Eric, don't stop. Keep going, harder, faster, holy cow!" I was mostly blabbering, but I couldn't help it. They way that he was fucking me was making me crazy in the best way possible.

He was thrusting away hitting spots in me that made my eyes roll back in my head when suddenly there was a loud SMACK! that came from behind me and my bottom was throbbing. I turned my head in time to see him do the same to my other cheek, SMACK! Part of me thought that I should be crying out in pain, but I didn't. It did hurt, but in a way that made me throb and gush more juices onto Eric's cock.

I could feel the smugness rolling off of Eric as he slapped me again on each cheek. SMACK! SMACK! "Do you like that Sookie? Do you like the feel of my hand coming down hard on your beautiful, perfect ass making it all warm and red?" He kept thrusting as he spoke as well as rubbing my warm as with one hand and stroking my clit with the other. I was on sensory overload. I didn't know which sensation to focus on, so I focused on all of the, but it was all too much and I couldn't speak. Apparently Eric really wanted me to answer him. He smacked me one more time and sped up his thrusts even more. "Answer me Sookie."

"Yes I like it Eric, I love it. Please keep smacking my as while you fuck me." That was just what Eric wanted to hear. He slapped each cheek one more time before he kicked his thrusting into vamp speed.

I thought that I was going to die in the best way possible. He was so deep inside of me and moving so fast I couldn't tell where he ended and I began. In these moments we were one, we were closer than any normal couple could ever be. That thought along with everything else was enough to push me over the edge and I pulled Eric with me right behind me.

I collapsed down on the bed with a smile on my face and Eric still buried inside of me. I had never so satisfied before in my life. I knew that some of those feelings were coming from Eric, but they were just mirroring my own, so I didn't mind.

I was pulling my pillow close so I could rest for awhile, but my Viking would have none of that. He rubbed his hands gently over my bottom and up my back and sides. His touch felt wonderful and was revving up my engine again until he spoke and brought me back to reality. "Lover, why are we glowing?"

The "we" part of that sentence was what made me pull away from him and sit on my sore bottom not caring about the pain. I looked both of us over and Eric's natural glow that I always was able to see was brighter and thankfully mine was a bit dimmer, but it was still there. "Oh God, Eric I am so sorry. This is all my fault. If I'd known this was even a remote possibility I would have never had sex with you."

"That's just crazy talk Lover. Of course you still would have made love to me." He pulled me into his lap and was continuing to run his hands all over me. "You wouldn't have been able to resist me just like I can't resist you. But why do you say this is your fault?"

"It's because I'm a fairy." He still looked confused, so I grabbed my fairy book and let him read for himself what was happening to us.

He was quick to read through my fairy book and when he was finished I could feel his lust, excitement and anticipation coming through our bond. "Lover, from what I understand, to make our little predicament go away we need to continue what we were just doing." He had that sexy smirk on his face as he wiggled his eyebrows like a cartoon wolf. I couldn't help but laugh at him.

"You are so adorable Eric, but there are rituals that need to accompany our 'mating' as that book so delicately puts it."

"I think that we can work around that. Basically we have to 'mate' in offering to the four magical elements, earth, air, fire and water so that we will be magically connected in this Fae way."

"Okay, but how are we going to do this? The fire part could be a little tricky all around."

"I think that it's more about a natural heat than actual flames. Fire could kill anyone, but I have a way that we can take care of this tonight." He'd moved his hand to my glowing thigh and started to move it up higher. I wanted him to take care of me some more right now, but if we were ever going to stop glowing, we needed to go soon.

I begrudgingly pushed his hand away from my thigh and watched him pout at me. "Baby, I'm sorry, but I would like to stop glowing sometime today." I looked over at the clock to see the time, then I quickly looked back at Eric. He was wide away and it was only two o'clock in the afternoon. "Holy Shit!"

"What's the matter Lover?"

"How is it possible that you're awake? It's only two o'clock in the afternoon."

He looked just as surprised as I was. "I have no idea Lover. I'm not bleeding anywhere, am I?"

That freaked me out a bit. "NO! Why would you ask me that?"

"Because if a vampire can fight the pull of the sun and stay awake during the day they will start bleeding from the nose, mouth and ears."

"No, none of that is happening to you. Maybe you should lay down and rest more before that starts to happen."

"I don't feel the pull of the sun and I have been awake for awhile. It's almost as if the sun is pulling me outside right now,"

That was so not going to happen. Without thinking I pounced on him and did my best to pin him to the bed. "Don't even think about it!" I couldn't stop the images of Eric burning up in the sun from running through my head. Tears pooled in my eyes and I couldn't stop them from running down my cheeks and there was also a pain building in my chest. I had never felt anything like it before and I didn't want to feel it ever again.

I threw my arms around his neck and got as close to him as I possibly could. "I love you Eric Northman. I want you and only you forever."

He squeezed me tighter against him. "I love you Sookie Stackhouse. I want you and only you forever."

As soon as the last word was out of his mouth, the glow around us became even brighter and I felt a warmth surrounding me that I'd never felt before. It made my skin tingle from head to toe, but it was comforting in a strange way.

I clung tight to Eric until the tingling stopped and our glowing became less predominate. I pulled away from him and I felt strange somehow, but I also felt strong and powerful as well.

I sat up and looked him in the eye. There was something different about him now too, but I didn't care about that now. I leaned down and kissed him gently on the lips before getting us back on the important topic at hand. "So, where are we going tonight to help rid us of our glowiness?"

"I own a cabin out in the woods. It's very isolated and I think that we can take care of everything in two very pleasurable experiences."

His voice was so sexy as he spoke and I could feel my juices flowing between my thighs. Since we were both naked and I was on top of him, I knew that Eric could feel it to. He filled our bond up with lust and I wanted him now just as much as he wanted me, but we needed to finish talking about how we were going to fix ourselves. "So how will you and your many skills be able to condense four rituals into just two?"

"That is very simple my love. I am able to fly, so we can make love in the air." That thought sent a shiver through me. I couldn't tell though if it was good or bad.

"You won't drop me, will you?"

"Never. I will never let anything bad ever happen to you Sookie as long as I can prevent it."

I smiled at his words. "Okay, what about the rest?"

"That is even easier. There is an underground hot springs on my property. The water I heated by the fire in the Earth's crust, the water is naturally occurring and it's underground. It's perfect for what we need."

It sounded perfect. I rested my head on his shoulder and I wished that we were there already. I couldn't even imagine how we were going to get there with both of us glowing like we were.

I never imagined that losing my virginity would ever be like this. I just wished that we were at Eric's cabin right now so that we could do what we needed to do to stop glowing and then we could relax for a little while.

I knew that this would bring the two of us even closer and I wanted that more than anything else in the world. I clung tight to Eric and I felt like someone was pulling my body away, so I clung to him even tighter. It didn't stop the feeling, but now it was like both of us were floating away. It only lasted a few seconds, but I'd closed my eyes against the sensation and was afraid to open them again.

When I felt like we were on solid ground again I forced myself to open my eyes. I looked around and this wasn't our bedroom. "Eric, where are we?"

"The cabin that I was talking about. My cabin." HOLY SHIT!


	22. Chapter 22

A/N So another chapter up. This one completes the fairy bond and addresses some issues that Sookie has. Enjoy and leave me some love.

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><p>As I sat there in Eric's arms I couldn't stop myself from trembling. What the hell was happening to me? I wanted to go and hide until all of this craziness went away, but that was not the way a Stackhouse did things. I stood up and walked into what I hoped was the bathroom (thankfully I was right) and closed and locked the door behind me. I hoped that Eric understood that I just needed a minute to myself.<p>

My life felt like it was spinning out of control and I didn't know how to stop it or even slow it down. Two weeks ago I was a normal girl, well mostly normal anyway, living with my Gran, working at Merlotte's and reading in the yard while working on my tan. Now I was being hunted by vampires, I had discovered that I was part fairy, I'm in love with a thousand year old vampire and I'm glowing like a lightning bug after having the most incredible sex with said vampire. I'd also teleported us somehow to his cabin in the woods where we were going to be fucking some more to make this glowing stop.

I rested my elbows on the counter, then dropped my face into my hands. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down. I could feel my new power flowing through me. I didn't know what it was, but I was scared of it. What if I couldn't handle it? What if I hurt somebody with it? That was the last thing that I would ever want.

I stayed in there for a few more minutes before Eric came knocking on the door. "Lover, please come out and talk to me. I can feel the turmoil whirling around inside of you. Please talk to me." I could feel how upset he was about my emotional state, so I quickly pulled myself together, opened the door and walked into his arms.

Just having him close, holding me in his arms made me feel better, but I was still filled with questions and no way of knowing where to find the right answers. Would Eric know the answers to my questions? We would need to find a fairy to get the answers? If we did that, would the fairy even tell us the truth?

I clung to Eric tighter and I realized in that moment that my questions could wait. I was with the man that I loved and that was all that mattered right now. I turned my head and placed a kiss over his un-beating heart. "I think that we should get started Mr. Northman."

"Are you sure that you are all right?"

"I'm fine, we can talk later. Now lets get this party started."

"It would be my pleasure Miss Stackhouse." He lifted me into his arms like I weighed nothing at all and zipped us down to the cave. It was pitch black in there, but our glowing left enough life for me to see by. There was nothing really special about this cave, but somehow I could feel that there was power here. I wanted to ask Eric if there was something special about this place, but he was walking us into the water, so I put everything else out of my mind except for the man holding me and what we were about to do.

As he slipped us deeper into the water I realized that it was a lot warmer than I expected. That on top of the fact that the air inside the cave was hot and heavy as well, I was quickly becoming very uncomfortable. I didn't want to rush things, but I really hoped that this didn't take very long down here. "Lover, I can feel that you are becoming very uncomfortable. We should wait and do this another time."

"No, we need to do this now. I'll be fine as long as it doesn't take too long."

"If I could I would make love to you for hours in her, but I would never do anything to risk your health."

Eric was now waist deep in the water, so I took my legs down and turned to face him. I slid my arms around his neck and jumped to wrap my legs around his waist. His cool body felt good against my heated flesh, but he was quickly growing warm as well. "I know you would baby and if it was cooler out I would let you spend hours in here with me, but it is just too hot."

"I promise that I will cool you off after we are finished."

"I just bet you will." I pressed myself closer against him so that I felt his long, hard, cock slipping between my soaked folds. God, no matter how many times he touched me, I still wanted more. I hoped that this feeling didn't last too long or neither of us would ever get anything done.

I was brought back to the present as he slide slowly inside of me. I could already feel power surging through me as we were joined and it flowed into Eric as well. It was completely surrounding us and it was amazing and exhilarating all at the same time. I never had ever imagined feeling this powerful before in my entire life.

As I clung to his while he was thrusting deep inside of me, all of my doubts and questions and discomfort completely left me. This, right now with Eric, was just right. This was where I was suppose to be, where we were both suppose to be and what we were suppose to be doing. "Eric do you feel that?"

"Yes I do Lover. It's incredible. I've never felt anything like this in all my centuries on this Earth. Your power is incredible."

I pressed as close to him as I could get. "It's our power Sweetie. This is where we are both suppose to be."

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else my angel." He held me tighter and gently kissed my lips and his thrusts sped up. I felt better than I had in my whole life and I never wanted this to stop.

I could feel that both of our orgasms were quickly building to their peak, but I could feel deep inside that it wasn't enough. I clung tighter to him as he thrust faster treading water all around us. "Eric, I love you so much."

"I love you too, my Angel."

"Bite me baby, please, I need you to bite me right now."

"Yes my love, anything for you." I head his fangs click down and I practically pushed his fangs into my neck. When I felt my blood flow into his I couldn't stop myself from biting him as well. It felt like my teeth were sharper somehow as they seemed to just slid into his flesh. His blood him my tongue and I could feel our connection grow even stronger, but it wasn't complete yet.

We kept drinking each others blood deeply and I could feel that we were both on the verge of explosive orgasms. I could feel myself become hot and uncomfortable all over, but I had to keep going, Eric and I needed to finish this, not just to stop glowing, but because we needed our connection as strong as we could possibly get it.

We stopped drinking from each other as we started to come. I screamed out my pleasure and Eric howled out his own, I'm sure scaring off all the wild life for miles. I clung tightly to him as little aftershocks rolled through my now overheated body. I wanted to go soak in a tub full of ice right now, but we weren't finished yet.

Eric tried to pull out of me, but I wouldn't let him. "NO! Stay in my. Fly us up to the back yard and make love to me again. I want us to complete our fairy bond. Make love to me in the air."

He slowly levitated us our of the water and as he floated us out of the cave her placed his now warm hand on my forehead. "Lover, you are burning up. I can feel that you are uncomfortable and are close to being unwell. We need to get you cooled down." He tried to pull away again, but I wouldn't let him.

"Eric, no. We need to finish this, I want to finish this. I want to be one with you in every way. Please Sweetie." I was very uncomfortable now, but somehow, deep down inside of myself I knew that if we didn't continue I would feel a whole lot worse.

"Sookie, I won't risk you health to do this. We can continue later after you feel better."

"No, Eric we need to finish this now. If we don't I know something even worse is going to happen to me. Please Baby, just make love to me in the air." I clung tight to him as I looked up into his eyes and I knew that he wouldn't refuse me.

Once we were outside he floated us higher in the air over his swimming pool. It looked so cool and inviting. I knew that was where we were heading when we were finished and I couldn't wait.

It was an interesting sensation, floating in mid-air, but it got even more interesting when Eric hooked his elbow under my knees and started thrusting hard into me again. This was changing the angle and made everything feel even better than before. All the discomfort left me again as I gripped tighter to Eric to keep from falling and to get him to go deeper. "Oh yes Eric, right there Baby, harder, faster!" He did as I demanded and I could feel the power building around us again. It was even stronger than before and when I told Eric to bite me again and I did the same to him we both exploded into a great ball of orange light. It was the most intense, fantastic experience of my entire life.

My whole body was tingling and buzzing with power afterwards, but also the heat and hot humid air really hit me as I was coming down from the whole experience. My head was starting to spin a bit and I could feel that if I didn't find some relief soon I was going to pass out. Eric was quick to remedy that as he lowered us into the pool. "Hold your breath Lover." I did as he asked and once my whole body was submerged in the cool water I instantly started to feel better.

He was quick to bring us back to the surface and he brushed my wet hair out of my house. "Feel better now my beautiful fairy?"

"Yes, much better." I looked up at him, then down at myself. "We're not glowing anymore!"

"No we're not." He leaned down and gently kiss my lips. "I feel you so much deeper inside of me now."

I focused inside of myself and realized that I could feel him much deeper inside of myself as well. "Me too. I like it." I pressed myself closer to him and I realized that he was still inside of me. I squeezed my muscles around him as I watched his eyes roll back into his head. "I like this too."

"Lover, you really should be resting now. You are still far too warm."

"I'll be fine. I just want to be close to you, to keep making love to you until dawn."

"My angel I want that to, but I don't want you to be unwell either." He swam us over to the edge of the pool and gently pulled out of me. I couldn't help the whimper that escaped my lips and the loss of him inside me. He was quick to lean down and kiss me. "Let me get you something to eat and drink my love, then maybe later we can _play_ in the pool for a little bit after." He wiggled his eyebrows at me and I couldn't help but laugh at him. He was so good and so sweet to me.

"Okay."

"Good." He kissed me one more time before he floated up and out of the pool. "I'll be right back." I couldn't keep my eyes off of his gorgeous ass as he walked towards the house. He was mouth watering all on his own, but he was even more so all wet and bathed in moonlight. I was getting hot all over for a whole different reason, so I dunked underwater and swam over to the pool steps to wait for my Viking to come back.

I sat on one of the lower steps so I was mostly in the cool water and pushed the hair out of my face. When I was situated I let my mind take in what I was feeling right now. My body was still tingling with magic and power and I felt like I could do anything right now. I knew that it was crazy for me to think like that because I was human and I could get hurt, but even as I thought that my mind kept screaming WRONG at me. That couldn't be right. I was still mostly human maybe. Again my head screamed WRONG. So I wasn't human anymore? That got no response.

I was so confused about what was going on in my head. I was so lost in my thoughts that I never noticed that Eric was back until I felt his arms wrap around me and pull me onto his lap. "My love, what is the matter? I could feel your confusion all the way in the house."

"I don't know what is wrong with me. I feel like my whole body is buzzing with power and I feel invincible. Then I was thinking that I can't be because I'm human and I could get hurt, but my mind screams that that is wrong. I didn't understand because I am at least mostly human, but my mind screamed that that was wrong too. How can that be?"

Eric leaned in close to my neck and inhaled deeply. I could feel pleasure and lust roll through our bond from him. "Lover, you smell more fairy than you did before. Not full Fae, but pretty damn close."

That sent a panic through me, but even when I heard Eric's fangs click down, I wasn't afraid of him. "Eric, what are we going to do with me smelling so much like a fairy?"

"Right now all I want to do is bite you and fuck you and rub myself all over you." He leaned in and started nuzzling my neck. I couldn't stop the moan that escaped my lips and the arousal that washed over me and filled our bond.

"Do it Eric, I want you to do all of that and so much more."

"I can't Sookie."

"Why not?"

"Because I have already taken too much from you tonight and I don't want to risk draining you."

I don't know what came over me in that moment, but I couldn't stop the next words I spoke from coming out of my mouth. "Then do it. Drink from me, drain me, make me like you." I turned in his arms so that I was straddling his lap. "Turn me Eric and I'll be safe and we will be together forever."

I watched the struggle that was taking place in his eyes, but he fought it. He put up his fangs and removed me from his lap. He moved in the water so that he was kneeling in front of me and took my face in his hands. "My love, you don't know what you are saying."

"Yes I do. I want this, I want you Eric, please turn me."

"Sookie, you have been through so much in a very short amount of time and you are confused and scared about what is happening to you. You think that me turning you will make that all go away, but it won't. Things will be even more confusing and out of control for you and I won't, I can't let you go through that right now.

"Things will get better Sookie, I promise. We will find out what is happening to you and I will be by your side every step of the way."

He was so sweet to me and I knew that I could say and tell him anything. I couldn't stop the tears that came to my eyes as I spoke. "Eric, I'm scared. I'm scared of what's going to happen to me, not just with these new fairy powers, but will the vampires who want to take me. I know that I seemed brave with what I did to Bill, but he was restrained and couldn't hurt me. Who knows what would happen if I were faced with a vampire one on one. They are stronger and faster than me. They could take me in seconds and if you were surrounded you wouldn't be able to help me." I was full on sobbing as I finished my little rant. My whole body was shaking and Eric was quick to pull me back into his arms.

"My brave little fairy, please don't cry. I think that I know something that I can do to make you feel better."

I lifted my head and wiped away my tears the best I could. "How could you do that?"

"I will teach you how to fight."

"But Eric, vampires are strong and fast. How could I possibly fight and win against one?"

"Sookie, it's not how strong or fast someone is that determines who will win a fight, it's being able to find their weaknesses and blind spots and using them to your advantage. I can teach you this. I don't want you to be scared and I can make it so that you won't have to be."

"Do you really think that I can learn how to fight before someone tries to get me?"

"I have informants watching all the potential threats. We'll know ahead of time if they are planning to make and kind of move. We'll be well prepared for anything, I promise."

I could feel his resolve and determination flowing through him and into our bond and I knew that everything was going to be fine. "I love you so, so much Eric."

"I love you too my little fairy. Now I think that it's time for you to eat, then we can have some fun in the pool."

"I'd like that." He kissed my cheek, then got out to get the tray he'd left on the patio. It was a pre-made ham and cheese sandwich, a bag of chips and a bottle of grape juice. "Eric, why do you have food in your house?"

"For you my angel. I wanted to be prepared if we ever came up here. There is food in all of my houses for you. It's mostly frozen foods and pre-made sandwiches and salads, but at least it's something."

"It's perfect, just like you." I leaned in and kissed him, then I dug into my snack. I was quick to devour it and before I realized what was happening my tray was gone and I was being pulled into the deep end of the pool.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N I am so sorry about the long wait for this update, my mom has been in the hospital and real life has just been crazy, but everything is looking good now. I have already started the next chapter since this one is a little short and hopefully it won't take so long for the next update. Enjoy and leave me some review love!

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><p>Eric may be a thousand years old and a bad ass vampire sheriff, but he wasn't afraid to let and have fun with me. We were splashing and chasing each other around the pool. After the emotional roller coaster I'd been on today, it felt good to smile and have fun and not be glowing.<p>

I knew deep down inside that we needed to cherish this moments while we had them. Things were going to change soon and not just everything with these mystery powers inside of me, but with all of the vampires that that loud mouth Compton had told about me. They were coming for me and that terrified me more than anything right now, but it was my safety that I was worried about. Who would these maniacs hurt or abduct to get to me? My Gran, Jason, my friends at Merlotte's, Eric?

Just the thought of something or someone hurting my Eric set off something primal and primitive deep inside of me. Eric was my lover, the love of my life and my mate. I would not be able to go on without him and I would stop at nothing to protect what was mine.

In that moment the playfulness that we'd been enjoying quickly turned into something primal and fueled by lust. The need to mark my mate with my scent and have him do the same to me in return was overpowering me. I needed, no we both needed this.

I swam up to Eric and wrapped myself tightly around him. "Eric?"

"Yes my lover?"

"If I asked you to do something for me, would you do it?"

"I will do anything for you, you just need to say the word."

I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face. "Good because right now I need you to bite me and fuck me and rub yourself all over me. I want you to mark me in every way possible."

"My Love, you have had a long and trying day, I think that you need to rest now. I don't want you to get rundown and make yourself unwell."

"I feel better now than I ever have and I want everyone to know that I'm yours and you are mine. Please Baby, I need you to do this." I rubbed myself harder against him and I could feel his resolve slowly crumbling. With one last look into my eyes and a push of lust from me into our bond he was quick to run us both out of the pool and into the house.

Neither of us cared that we were dripping water everywhere, we just needed this connection and apparently we needed to establish it in every room of the house. We fucked on the counter in the kitchen, against the wall in the hallway, on the dining room table that I didn't even really understand was there, but didn't have the time or patience to ask about. We fucked on the sofa in the living room, in front of the unlit fireplace, on the stairs, in the upstairs hallway and finally in the light-tight bedroom.

It had taken us over two hours to get upstairs and I should have felt exhausted as we collapsed onto the bed, but instead I felt exhilarated. Eric's every touch and kiss just made me feel so alive and full of energy. Our connection was flowing strong and steady between us and it just made me want him all the more again.

Eric was lying on his back beside me and I couldn't stop myself from moving to straddle his beautiful, naked body. He smiled up at me and I could see that he wanted me again too, but I could feel the sun pulling to take my love away from me and I didn't like it. "Lover, you should get some rest now. The sun is coming up and I'll be dead for the day."

I leaned down and ran my hands up and down his beautiful chest. "I don't want you to die for the day." I pressed down against him so that he could feel how much I really didn't want him to die for the day even after all the times we had already fucked all over the house. "I'm not done with you yet."

"You are insatiable Lover. I'll be ready and willing for you to continue ravishing my at sunset."

"That's the best that I'm going to get, huh?"

"I'm afraid so." I could see that he was fading fast, so I quickly leaned down and kissed his perfect lips. "I love you."

"I love you too." And with that he was down for the day. I slid off of him and curled up next to him as close as I could get. I didn't feel tired, but I decided that I should rest anyway for nightfall.

Surprisingly it didn't take long for me to fall asleep, but that didn't last long. I was suddenly in the living room in my own house with Nessa. "Oh Nessa!" I couldn't stop from throwing myself into her arms. It had been too long since I'd seen her last in my dreams and right now I needed her more than ever. "I'm so glad that you are here. I have so many questions and I am so confused. Something is happening to me. I'm changing and I'm so frightened. I want to be brave for Eric, but I just don't know how to be brave right now."

Nessa reached up and took my face in her hands and gently hushed me and tried to get me to calm down. "Hush now, my little fairy, everything is going to be just fine. I know that you are confused now and have many questions and I will try to help you as much as I can in the coming weeks, but right now there is something that you must take care of right away."

"What is it?"

"Every monarch that Compton has told about you as also given him their blood. Normally all of the different blood would override each other, but he seems to have a special control over his blood to keep from doing that. He allowed himself to be captured so that they would know where to come and find you. They paid him handsomely for the opportunity, but none of them knows about the others. He wants them to come after you and take each other out in the process."

"What? Why would he want them to do that?"

"Because those are his orders. His maker commanded him to do this just as her maker commanded her."

"I still don't understand."

"Bill's grandsire is the oldest vampire in America. He's been king for over a hundred years, but he wants more than that now."

"Who is this vampire?"

"He's over 3000 years old, he's the king of Mississippi and his name is Russell Edgington."

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	24. Chapter 24

A/N I wanted to have this up a week ago, but real life got in the way. So I'm just going to say read and enjoy and leave me some love when you're done:)

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><p>If Nessa was trying to make me feel better she wasn't doing a very good job of it. Whoever this Russell Edgington is, he's three times older than Eric. How could we possibly be able to keep him from accomplishing this crazy mission of his?<p>

I could feel my dream self start to panic and hyperventilate, but Nessa was quick to calm me down. "Sookie, my angle, it's going to be all right. You have all the power you need not just to protect yourself, but protecting your Viking as well."

"But I don't know how to use these new powers in me or even how to work them. And even if I didn't know how, I don't have a clue how to control them."

"Sookie, I know that you are scared, but the one thing I know is that you _**can**_ control your powers. It's instinctive with fairies. When you need to use your powers, you will just know how to use them. And when you wake up I need you to use those powers to get to Bill Compton. You need to get all the information that you can from him mind, then you need to end him. If you don't, you'll be over run by vampires tomorrow night."

There was a big part of me that just wanted to run away from all of this craziness. I didn't sign up for any of this. I could just disappear to some remote island where nobody would even know me, but I couldn't leave behind Gran and Jason and especially not Eric. I went to him of my own free will, so this was just not something that I could run away from. Whether I stayed or ran away I would still be a fairy. Being with Eric meant that I would have protection of the vampires of Area 5 and with Eric I felt like I could do anything.

I looked at Nessa and I could feel confidence flowing through me. "Well, then I better get to it then."

She smiled back at me. "You will be just fine my little fairy and when you get back, you will have a very special surprise waiting for you." Before I could ask what she meant I was pulled out of my dream.

I sat up in bed with my Viking's arm wrapped around my waist. I looked over at the clock and it was a little after eleven. I had a mission that I needed to accomplish and the sooner the better.

I turned back to my Viking and leaned down and gently kissed his cold lips. "I love you so much and I promise that I will be back before you wake up." I kissed him once more before getting out of bedding and slipping into the bathroom. I took care of my human needs, then took a quick shower.

When I got out I dried off quickly, but then I realized that I didn't have any clothes here. I decided that I would just have to borrow something from Eric, then I could pop home and get some of my own clothes.

Whoa, wait a minute, hold the phone here. When did I start thinking about popping places instead of driving there? I guess Nessa was right about my powers being instinctive.

I quickly headed into his closet and I was surprised when I found half of the closet filled with women's clothes. I thought for a minute that they were Pam's clothes, but as I looked at the sizes to see if something would fit me, I noticed everything was in my size. Wow, that Viking doesn't mess around when he sees something that he likes.

I looked through the clothing and there was a lot of sundresses that I loved, but definitely weren't the right look that I was going for right now. There were lots of jeans and tees as well, but those weren't what I wanted either. I had to look all the way in the back of the closet before I found things that I normally wouldn't were, but were exactly what I was looking for.

Those clothes were mostly silk, satin and leather and the leather clothes would be the perfect badass looking that I was going for. I pulled out a pair of leather pants, a leather halter top and a pair of knee high leather boots. I gathered my new outfit into my arms and headed back into the bathroom.

As I was dressing I was expecting the leather to be tight and constricting, but it wasn't at all. The leather felt soft against my bare skin and it was as if it was made for me specifically. It was easy to move around in my outfit and somehow it made me feel more powerful and strong, like I could do anything and still manage to come out on top.

I slid on and zipped up my boots to complete my outfit, then went back into the bedroom. I went over to the bed and looked down at my resting Viking and I just knew that he would be angry at me for what I was about to do, but I didn't have a choice. I had to do this to protect everyone, at least for now.

I ran my hand over his cool cheek and leaned down and gently kissed his beautiful lips. "I love you so much and hopefully I'll be home before you rise tonight and that you won't be angry with me. I'm doing what I have to do to help us." I kissed him one more time before I focused on Fangtasia's basement and popped away.

That was a very weird sensation, but I didn't have time to focus on that now. There was very little light illuminating the basement, yet I was still able to see as clearly as ever. This was going to be a nice little perk. I saw that Bill was still chained up like he was when I castrated him, but there was dried blood on his face and more blood dripping from where the silver chains were cutting into him. On anyone else I would feel guilty seeing them suffer like this, but not him. He deserved everything that had been done to him so far and what I was planning on doing to him now. If Mr. William Compton thought that he was going to get out of here alive, he was sorely mistaken.

I looked around the room and saw a rack of weapons there at my disposal. I walked up to it and glanced at my selection of weapons that I could torture him with. There was a wide variety of weapons to choose from, but there was one particular sword that seemed to just be calling to me. I could feel that this was Eric's sword and that it would be the weapon that would end Billy's existence soon.

I walked up to the sword and I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to lift it, but when I did pick it up, it felt as light as a feather. I swung it back and forth and I felt very comfortable using it, but I didn't have time to play with it now. I gripped the sword tightly in my hand and walked up to the unconscious Mr. Compton.

I looked up at the dead to the world vampire and wondered how in the hell I was going to wake him up. Even though he had been tortured and chained up in silver there was somehow a peaceful look on his face and I didn't like that one bit. He didn't deserve to have any peace at all after the awful things that he'd done and was planning to do.

I could feel my anger at him build up inside of me and I felt my left hand begin to warm. I looked down and saw a ball of light glowing brightly in my hand. Without thinking about what I was doing I pulled my hand back and threw the ball at his chest. His whole body lit up like a Christmas tree and he was wide awake now. "Good morning Mr. Compton."

His face showed his utter shock at what I'd done to him and he was actually panting as if he was out of breath. "What the fuck did you do to me you crazy witch?!"

"I need to talk to you and you looked too peaceful for my taste. You don't deserve ant peace after the plans you've put in place." I lifted my sword and put the tip to his neck. I put just a bit of pressure on it, but it was enough to draw blood. "You are a coward Mr. Compton, and you deserve everything that you get." I leaned in so that the sword slipped deeper into his neck while at the same time my hand brushed against his knee. Before I had the chance to pull away I realized that his mind was open to me. I saw all of his horrible plans for me, for Eric, and all the plans that he'd put into place until now. Everything was clear to me, even clearer than with humans, and there was nothing that was hidden from me, I saw it all. And once I'd gotten all the information from him that I could, I knew that it was in my mind to stay.

I was quick to pull away from him when I knew everything. I looked up at him with the most evil smile that I could muster. "Thank you for all of that helpful information Mr. Compton." I pulled the blade from him neck and held it high above my head. "Say hello to my Uncle Bartlett when you get to hell." And with those final words I swung the sword as hard as I could and separated his head from his body.

What was left of Bill Compton splashed like an exploding water balloon onto the floor. Luckily I hadn't gotten a speck of his nastiness on me.

As I looked down at the bloody mess that was all that was left of Billy boy, I couldn't stop the heat that started to build up inside of me again. I looked down at the fiery light ball and without even thinking about it I threw it on the bloody remains. I was expecting there to be a big fire, but instead it quickly burned itself out taking what was left of William Compton with it.

I was expecting to feel some kind of remorse or guilt since I had just taken a life, but I didn't. I felt a tremendous amount of relief instead. He would never bother us or anyone again, but we still had his maker and his maker's maker to deal with, but that could wait until my Viking was awake.

Speaking of my Viking, I hadn't realized until now just how much I had been missing him. I felt an ache deep down inside and I just knew that I needed to see him, to be close to him again. I needed to get home to him as soon as possible and this feeling was not to be ignored.

I quickly wiped down the sword and returned it to it's proper spot, then I headed up to Eric's office. I checked the time and it was only a little after one o'clock. My stomach decided at that moment to protest the fact that I hadn't eaten anything in far too long. Well that wouldn't do and my feeling would just have to chill until I got something to eat.

I knew that Eric had a kitchen full of food, but I was craving greasy burgers and fries and a cool strawberry milkshake. I didn't have any money on me, so I went to Eric's desk to see if he had any money hanging around.

As I was looking I realized that I'd never really looked at what Eric had on his desk, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a picture of me framed there on his desk. I could tell from what I was wearing that the picture had been taken on my first night working her. I had a huge smile on my face and I knew that Eric had taken this on his cell phone because I would only smile like that if I was looking at him.

I wondered how long he'd had this on his desk, but more than that I wondered when I could get my own picture of him that I could keep with me all the time. My thoughts turned to a locket nestled over my heart with a picture of Eric in it until my stomach rumbled again even louder than before. I saw that Eric had left his leather jacket behind and luckily there was some money in the pocket. I clutched it tight in my hand and popped to the nearest burger joint.

I popped in where I wouldn't be seen and quickly went inside. I loaded up on the biggest shake they had and more burgers and fries than I thought I could eat, but still wanted anyway. I was tempted to eat inside, but I was getting more and more anxious to get back to Eric, so I went back outside and popped home.

I popped into the kitchen and set my food down on the counter. I went to get a plate out of the cupboard when I saw something out of the back window that scared me more than anything Bill Compton had planned for me. "NOOOOOO!"


	25. Chapter 25

A/N I am sooo sorry for the delay, I have been in a bit of a funk lately, but hopefully I'm coming out of it now. No matter what I will finish my stories. So I'll leave you to it, enjoy and leave me some love!

I ran out the back door as fast as my boots would carry me. "ERIC!" He was standing out in the sun, naked as I left him and still as a statue.

I ran up to him as fast as I could, threw my arms around him and popped us back into our light tight bedroom. I was quick to step back and started looking him over. "Eric, Eric are you all right? Where are you burned?" As I was looking over him I noticed there were no burn marks. His skin was as perfect as it always was. "What the hell? Eric, what were you doing out in the sun like that?"

"Enjoying the warmth of the sun on my face after being in the dark for over a thousand years."

I was very confused. "I don't understand. How is this even possible?"

"It's you Lover. I don't know how, but it's you or our bond or the combination of the two." He finally looked down at me and I noticed that his face wasn't so pale anymore, it was pink. I couldn't resist reaching up and running my fingers over his now pink skin. It was warm under my touch and I couldn't stop the giggle that escaped my lips. "What's so funny my love?"

"You have a little sunburn on your face."

He looked down at me with a goofy smile on his face. "I do?"

"Yes, you do." I couldn't stop stroking his pink skin, but I suddenly noticed that it was turning white again. "Did your burn just heal on its own, or was that me?" I didn't really think that I had done anything, but after everything that had been happening lately I had to be sure.

"I'm healed? It wasn't my blood doing it. When we heal our bodies tingle letting us know our blood is working its magic. It must have been you doing it Lover."

"But how is that possible? I wasn't even trying to do anything."

"I think that it's a natural instinct inside of you. You don't need to think about doing something; the magic in you just knows and does it."

"You're the second person to tell me that today."

"Who was the other Sookie?" He looked down at me and that sexy eyebrow of his went up waking up my lady bits. "What have you been up to today?"

"Well, that's kind of a long story." My stomach took that moment to growl even louder than before demanding that it be fed. "Um, why don't you put on some clothes and meet me in the kitchen where my lunch is waiting for me and I'll explain everything to you."

"All right." He leaned down and gently kissed my lips before disappearing into the closet. Part of me was very tempted to follow and have my wicked way with my Viking, but my stomach didn't like that idea at all, so I made my way back out to the kitchen.

I sat down and started eating waiting for Eric to join me. It was only a few minutes before he came into the room, but I had already devoured almost half my food. I stopped short when I looked up at him as he came in the room. He was wearing black sleep pants and a black tank top that fit him like a second skin.

I continued to eat my food as I looked at him, but all that I could think about was nibbling on every inch of Eric, touching and licking him all over. I was lost in those thoughts as I felt him slide his hand up my leather clad thigh while his other hand trailed down my bare arm.

I looked up and was met with the beautiful blue eyes of my Viking. There was mischief in them and a smile on his face. I couldn't help but smile back at him. "Lover, as much as I adore your naughty face and what it leads to, you have some explaining to do."

That pulled me out of my naked Viking musings. "Wait a minute, I have a naughty face and when did you turn into Ricky Ricardo?"

"Yes you do have a naughty face. It comes out whenever we are about to make love, and I am certainly not a Cuban man who can't speak proper English."

"No you're not. You are a bad ass Viking, my bad ass Viking."

"Yes I am." He pulled away and I immediately missed his touch. "But now you need to tell me what you have been doing today."

I knew I couldn't stall much longer, so I quickly finished eating and told him about my visit to Fangtasia. I was expecting him to be angry at me for going there on my own, but there was only a slight hint of anger in our bond, there was mostly pride and a touch of jealousy. "What are you jealous about?"

"That you got to end that weasel bastard. I would have enjoyed at least being there to witness it."

"I'm sorry darlin', but it had to be done. Who knows how many vampires could still possibly be on their way here right now."

"Depending on whom they are, we might not have as big a problem as we think."

"What do you mean?"

"I've made friends with a lot of monarchs in my thousand years. If they do still come here looking for you I might be able to convince them that Compton was lying about there being a telepath here."

"That could work. I found out that he didn't have any real tangible evidence about me, but they were still intrigued anyway since telepaths are a rare commodity. He told, Indiana, Texas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Arkansas and Nevada about me."

He was almost smiling at the list of monarchs until I got to the last one. "Nevada is definitely going to be a problem. Felipe DeCastro is a ruthless son of a bitch and when he finds something that he wants, he doesn't stop until he gets it. I'm sure that he's sent spies of his own to check on you for himself."

"Maybe Nessa can tell me what he's up to."

Eric perked up at my words. "Sookie, who is Nessa?"

For a brief moment I was afraid that if I told Eric about Nessa that he would think that I was completely nuts, but that thought quickly passed. I loved him and he loved me and I needed to trust him with this.

I went through everything that I'd experienced with and knew about Nessa. When I was finished I looked up at Eric and he had a strange expression on his face. "You think that I'm crazy, don't you?"

He was quick to pull me over onto his lap and slid his arms around me before kissing me deeply. I wanted the kiss to go farther, but I needed him to answer my question first, so I pulled away from his kiss. "Eric, I really need to know if you think that I'm crazy or not."

"No Lover, I don't think that you're crazy. I think that you have more people looking out for you than you think." He moved his lips down to my neck and was really distracting me now. Not that I minded the distractions, but we had more to talk about.

"Eric, what are you talking about? Who else is looking out for me?" His hand slid up my bare back and unclasped my halter top. He slid the cool leather down my slowly heating skin until my breasts were bare. They didn't stay that way long though. Eric was quick to fill his hands with my ample breasts and I couldn't stop the moan that escaped my lips. "Eric, we need to talk about what is happening around us."

"We will Lover." He bent his hand down and rolled his tongue around my already erect nipple/ "But right now I have very important plans that involves us not talking for a while." He lifted me up in his arms where I clung to him tightly as he ran us at vampire speed outside.

When he lowered me down and I felt the warm grass on my bare back I started to panic again. "Eric, do you think that it's a good idea for you to be out in the sun like this? What if you start to burn?"

"My love, I'm not going to burn." He knelt down beside me and slid his hands down to the zipper on my leather pants and slowly pulled them down. "And all I've been able to think about since I could come out in the sun was having you naked under me and the sun that you love to worship so much." He leaned down and started kissing my bare breasts. "You are never meant to stay in the shadows Sookie. You are meant for the sunlight."

I reached up and took his face in my hands. "But I would give it all up if it meant I could be with you forever." Everything else would have to wait since those seemed to be just what Eric wanted to hear, because they were the last coherent words I said for hours.


	26. Chapter 26

A/N So it has been way took long and I've just been a big old slacker. I have had this chapter written for over a month, but i have the next chapter about half way written so hopefully the wait won't be so long next time. so enjoy and leave me some love:)

CHAPTER 26

"Sookie Sweetie, wake up, we need to talk."

I was pulled out of a very pleasant sleep by a voice that I was hoping to hear. I opened my eyes and looked up to find Nessa smiling down at me. "Hey Nessa."

"How are you feeling little one? You have used quite a bit of magic today. I don't want you wearing yourself out, especially now."

I sat up and looked at her funny. "What do you mean 'especially now'? Is there something wrong with me?"

"You are perfect, but you are still growing and changing for the better." I had a feeling that she was holding something back, but I didn't have time to worry about that now. I didn't know how long I was going to be here and I needed answers to my important questions.

"Nessa, is the king of Nevada coming for me even though I ended Bill Compton?"

"Yes he is. I'm sorry to tell you this, but he's even closer than you think."

"What do you mean?"

"One of the vampires at Fangtasia, Felicia, is a spy for deCastro. He's been watching the Viking for awhile. There is also another vampire snooping around Bon Temps named Victor Madden. He's Felipe's second in command. He knows all about you from the people in town, including your brother."

"Oh God, he hasn't hurt Jason, has he?"

"He's just glamoured him to get information. They know about your telepathy, but they don't know about your new and growing powers. That will definitely work to your advantage."

"Is Felipe planning to come and try to take me away from Eric?"

"Now that you are bonded he shouldn't even try, but he cares not for our rules. He's always skirted around the rules when he can, especially when there is something that he wants and he definitely wants you."

A plan was quick to form in my mind. "Well then, I'll just have to get to him first."

Nessa was quick to step closer to me and grab my arms so that I would look at her. "Sookie, I know that right now you feel strong and powerful and that's good, but you can't let that power go to your head. You need to practice and refine your powers before you even think about going after deCastro and you definitely should not try to take him alone. You and the Viking are stronger together and now that he's a day-walker, you're even stronger."

I wanted to be stubborn and run off and deal with this on my own like I had with Compton, but I knew that this time she was right. Popping ten or twenty miles was one thing, but popping thousands of miles was not something I even knew that I could do. Plus I had no idea where deCastro even was, I didn't know anything about the kind of security he had and it was definitely way too dangerous to attempt on my own. "Okay, you're right, I won't do anything on my own."

"Good girl."

"What about my Gran? Is she safe?" I knew that Bubba was watching over her at night, but what if somebody tried to come for her during the day?

"Adele is going to be just fine. She had got more protection than you know about." That was a bit ominous, but it still made me feel better knowing that she was safe.

"Is there anything else that I should know about?"

A smile spread across her face and I could feel a huge wave of happiness radiating off of her. "There is more, but you will about that in good time. Spend today with your Viking. Eat well, rest well and plan together what you should do about Felipe. In one week a visitor will be coming to see you at Fangtasia just after sunset. She is going to have answers to some of your questions and she will have a surprise for you as well."

That made me a little nervous, but before I could ask her anymore I was pulled out of my dream world by my Viking. His cool, wet lips were pressed against my neck and over my chest. My fingers were quick to be buried in his hair and pull him closer, but only for a moment. I had much to tell him. "Eric."

"Shhh Lover, I'm very busy right now.

"I know you are Baby, but there is something very important I need to tell you that I found out from Nessa. You need to stop for now."

"My ears are free. You talk and I'll continue what I'm doing."

There was a war going on inside of me. I knew that it would be best for me to make him stop so that I could talk to him, but his lips just felt so good on my skin and it was all very distracting. I was so close to losing the war that I had to do something to distract both of us. "Felicia is a spy for deCastro." Sadly, that did the trick.

Eric sat up and looked down at me and I could see the anger in his eyes. I knew that it wasn't directed at me, but it was still scary to see none the less. "I knew that there was something off about her."

"That's not all."

"What else could there possibly be?"

"Victor Madden has been snooping around Bon Temps and he knows all about me."

Before I could react to his overwhelming emotions, Eric was out of the house at top vamp speed. I had no idea what he was going to do, so I quickly pulled on his discarded shirt and popped outside after him.

...


	27. Chapter 27

A/N So here is another chapter and it didn't take me long. This story is really speaking to me lately. I've not given up my other stories and soon the sequel to my first story should be up, I just need to get motivated. So Sookie is going through a lot of changes in this chapter and it's leading up to something big, so enjoy and leave me some love!

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><p>In the seconds that it took me to pop out after him, he had uprooted half a dozen trees from the surrounding forest. "Eric!" I shouted. "Please stop this before you hurt yourself!" He was either ignoring me or he was so lost in his anger that he couldn't hear me. In the short time that I'd known him, I'd never seen him act like this and it was scaring me and breaking my heart. I had to do something to stop him.<p>

I wasn't trying to do it on purpose, but I could feel my powers build up inside of me. Somehow I knew what I was about to do and I wanted to stop myself, but I just couldn't. There were rivers of tears streaming down my face as I lifted my hands and blasted Eric with a ball of my light powers. My aim was spot on and it almost killed me to watch the love of my life go flying through the air, then crash to the ground, laying completely still.

Oh God! What have I done? "ERIC!" So many things went through my mind as I ran towards him, not wanting to chance popping when my emotions were so erratic. The thought in the front of my mind was that whatever power I had just wielded had killed him. A thousand years of living and a few days with me and he's done for. No, I wouldn't, I couldn't think like that.

I ran as fast as I could and when I reached him I dropped to my knees and cradled his head in my lap. I brushed the hair from his eyes as my tears fell onto his handsome face. "Please Eric, wake up. I can't of killed you. I love you too much. If you please wake up I'll do anything that you want. We can run away from all of this craziness, just please come back to me. I can't live my life without you."

"Oh Lover, it's going to take more than a little blast of light to take me down."

I quickly wiped away my tears and saw him smiling up at me. I had never felt so happy in my entire life. I set his head gently down on the ground and was quick to straddle his still naked body. I leaned down and peppered his face with kisses. "Oh God, Eric I thought that I had killed you." I took his face in my hands and kissed him hard and deep on the lips. We'd only just begun our lives together. I've had him and now I can't imagine another day without him. That thought and feeling was what prompted my next words without my brains permission. "Turn me." I pulled my hair back from my neck and leaned in closer to Eric.

I could feel the war being raged inside of him. He wanted to turn me, to keep me safe, to make me strong so that I could protect myself, but he also wanted me to stay the way that I am. It was my humanity that he fell in love with and he wanted me to keep that for as long as possible. I wanted to tell him that it didn't matter whether I was vampire or human, I'd still be me, but there was something inside of me that was rebelling against what I wanted.

Before he could respond to my request, I quickly jumped off of him and made it a few feet away before I was violently ill. I had never been this sick in my life or had something come on this quickly. Something was wrong, I could feel it, but I didn't know what it was. This, to me anyway, was scarier than any vampire coming after me.

Panic was really starting to build in me over why I was sick and what was happening to me in general, when I felt Eric come up behind me and slid his arms around my waist. "It's all right my love, I am right here. Everything is going to be all right."

I spit one more time before I fell back into Eric's arms feeling physically and emotionally exhausted. "Eric, I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for my angel, I'm the one who should be sorry." He gently lifted me into his arms and started back to the cabin. "I shouldn't have lost my temper like that, it's just that with everything that has been happening these last few days, I feel very out of control and like I'm letting you down allowing the enemy to get so close to you."

"Eric, it's not your fault. How could you have possibly known any of this was going to happen? You couldn't, but now that we do know, we can deal with it, together."

"So I guess this means you really don't run away after all?"

"You heard me?"

"Yes I did. You know that I would take you anywhere that you wanted to go my angel. I have friends all over the world. We could travel, visit anyplace that you want to see. I would love to see the world with you, through your eyes."

The thought of traveling the world with Eric, to see the places that I'd only read about before, was very tempting, but it was quickly overshadowed by thoughts of Gran and Jason. I couldn't leave them to the mercy of those who were after me. "Eric, that sounds amazing, and I would love to see the world with you someday, but I can't leave my Gran and Jason all alone with everything that's happening. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I went away and something happened to them."

"They could come with us. We could go anywhere that your heart desires."

Still very tempting, but I still had to say no. "No Eric. It sounds lovely and maybe someday, but now we need to fight. We need to deal with these problems, not run from them or they will just follow us anyways." I looked up at him as he carried me inside to our bedroom and set me down on our bed. "I thought that a big Viking like you would want to fight."

"I do, but for some reason I feel extra protective of you today than I did before. I just want to get you as far away from this whole mess as possible and keep you safe from harm." He lay down beside me on the bed and pressed his cool hand to my forehead. Just that slight touch felt like heaven to me. "How are you feeling now Lover?"

"Better I guess, but now I feel absolutely ravenous."

"What would you like? Anything that you want you shall have."

I didn't have to think about what I wanted, it was laying right beside me. It wasn't my love that I wanted, but the blood coursing through his veins. I couldn't take my eyes off his neck and I licked my lips thinking about tasting his sweet blood. "I can really have anything I want?"

"Of course my love, anything."

"Good." Before I even realized what I was doing, I was latched on to Eric's neck and his delicious blood was flowing into my mouth. Something was different about his blood today. It tasted better than before, better than anything else that I had ever tasted before. I could feel every drop of it flowing into me and through me and I felt better than when I'd had Eric's blood before. I felt power and magic flowing through me and it was invigorating me. I was almost lost in it until I felt panic coming from my bond with Eric.

Without pulling away from his neck and his delicious blood, I focused on Eric's feelings. He was intrigued as to how I was able to hold him down like I was, he had been enjoying the sensation of me taking his blood, but now he was panicking at how much I was taking and how weak he was becoming. I still couldn't pull myself away from his neck until I felt him go limp below me and our bond had dimmed to nothing but a trickle.

I pulled myself from my apparent bloodlust and looked down at Eric. Oh God! He was even paler than normal, almost gray and he was unconscious. I couldn't believe that I'd done it again. I think I've killed the man that I love.!

I wanted to panic, but I knew that I had to stay calm so that I could help him. The first thing that I needed was blood. Jesus, how much did I take from him?

I needed to go and find some blood in the house, but I just couldn't force myself to leave his side. This could possibly be the last time that I ever saw him, but he needed the blood to hopefully survive.

That was all I could focus on, getting him the blood that he needed. Blood, blood, blood, that was all that was going through my head, and suddenly there was a pile of bagged blood that appeared next to me.

I didn't have time to question how it got there, I quickly opened the first bag and sat him up so that I could pour the blood down his throat.

As I was feeding him bag after bag of blood, I couldn't stop the tears that were streaming down my face or the words that flowed out of my mouth. "Baby, I promise that if you wake up this time, I'll leave and never darken your doorstep ever again. I'm obviously too dangerous to be around you, so I'll go and try to find someone else to help me. Once I know that you are all right, I'll leave for good."

I was just opening the ninth bag when his hand sprang up to stop me. "Don't say that. Don't ever say that again. If you even think about leaving me now, I will chain you up in my basement and never let you go."

I was so happy that he was awake, but I had to argue with him. "How can you say that? Twice today I have almost killed you. If I were you, I'd want to be as far away from me as possible."

"I don't want to be away from you. You are a part of me now. You could try to kill me everyday for the rest of eternity and I still wouldn't let you go. We are one whether you like it or not. Also there is the little fact that I'm in love with you, that could have something to do with me not wanting you to leave me."

"I love you too, so very much, but what if next time I really do kill you? I couldn't live with myself."

"Sookie, I don't think that you could kill me even if you wanted to."

"But what about before…" He placed his fingers to my lips to stop me from speaking.

"Lover, when you hit me with your light before, it didn't hurt me, it just stopped me from hurting myself. I'm assuming that's what you wanted to do." I nodded. "We are one in every way. You hurting me would be like you hurting yourself. You just couldn't do it."

"But Eric, what about your blood. I craved it like nothing else and I couldn't stop myself from taking it. If you hadn't panicked the way that you did, I don't know if I would have been able to stop myself."

"That is not normal, at least for a human. Maybe it's the fairy in…" His sentence trailed off as his eyes fell on my mouth. "Oh God Sookie!"

"What?"

"Your mouth." He had a smile on his face, but I was starting to freak out.

"What about my mouth?" I couldn't wait for him to answer, so I quickly jumped off the bed and ran into the bathroom.


	28. Chapter 28

A/N Another update so quick? Can you believe it? This story is just really speaking to me right now. I have about half of the next chapter written, so i might have another update soon. Hopefully this will spill over to my other stories too, but who knows. Anyway enjoy and leave me some love:)

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><p>I ran to the bathroom mirror a lot faster than I thought possible, but I didn't have the patience to think about that now.<p>

I looked at my mouth and it was covered in Eric's blood, but I didn't think that would be something that he would be smiling about.

I slowly opened my mouth and I couldn't believe what I saw. FANGS! They weren't as big as Eric's, but they were definitely there. I couldn't stop the scream that came out of me at my discovery.

Eric was at my side instantly. "Lover, it's all right."

I stopped screaming and looked up at him like he was bat crap crazy. "Are you insane? I have FANGS! This is not okay. I am not suppose to have fangs!"

I was quickly falling over the edge at the discovery of my new fangs, but Eric was quicker to pull me into his arms, carry me back to bed and send all the love and comfort possible through our bond. A part of me was very tempted to fight against him calming me down, but he was already really starting to make me feel better, so I left him to it.

"Lover, you are going through some enormous changes right now and I should have thought of this sooner, but I think that I should call Dr. Ludwig and have her come and check you over."

"Who is Dr. Ludwig?"

"She is a supernatural doctor. She knows almost everything about every kind of supe there is. She should be able to tell us what's happening to you."

"Yes Eric, please call her. I need to know what is going on inside of me."

"Alright Lover, I'll call her right now and see how soon she can come and check you over."

I curled up as close to Eric as I could get as he grabbed his cell phone and made his call. I heard him start talking to the doctor, but I didn't pay attention to what he was saying, I just focused on our bond. Feeling a part of Eric flowing steadily inside of me made me feel better, but I still needed to know what was happening to me.

I lay my head on his chest as he made his phone call and tried to figure out what could be happening to me, but my focus didn't last long. My concentration went out the window when my stomach started to growl and I felt like it was gnawing on itself. I had never felt so hungry before in my life. I didn't know why I was still hungry after taking all of that blood from Eric, but it was like now I needed actual food to quell my growing hunger.

I was glad that it wasn't Eric's blood that I was craving anymore, but I was still concerned with what could be going on with me. If the fangs that I could now pop out were any indication, then I was somehow becoming a vampire, but I was obviously still at least partially human if I was still craving food.

Just thinking about food made my mind become completely focused on what I wanted to eat. I focused on it so hard that it appeared in my hands. This was a very handy skill. I could get used to this.

I cuddled even closer to Eric as I ate my snack. He finished his call and turned his focus back to me. "Dr. Ludwig says that she'll be here within the hour. She also said that she was already scheduled to see us next week at the club."

That got my attention. "Is she the person that Nessa told me about?"

"I believe so my love."

"Why would Nessa need me to see a supe doctor?"

"I don't know." He looked down at me and I felt confusion and disgust come from him. "Lover, what in the world are you eating?"

I took another big forkful of my snack, chewed and swallowed before I answered. "There's calamari, shrimp, clams, oysters, scallops and lobster meat. I really wanted some seafood and it's really tasty." I took another big forkful.

"But what is that stuff on top of it?"

"There's cocktail sauce, hot sauce, lemon juice, hot fudge, whipped cream and sprinkles."

My big, badass Viking actually gagged at my snack. I couldn't help but laugh at that. "Sookie, maybe you shouldn't eat any more of that until Dr. Ludwig checks on you."

He reached to take my snack away and in that moment I did something that I never would of thought I'd ever do to Eric. I hissed at him with my fangs down and scrambled away from him clutching my bowl. I knew in my mind that this wasn't a rational reaction, but I wasn't really feeling rational right now. "No, mine."

He was quick to throw his hands up and slowly get off the bed. "Okay Lover, it's all right."

I watched him walk away and I started to panic thinking that he was going to leave. I didn't want that. "Baby, where are you going?"

"I'm just going to shower and dress for when the doctor gets here."

"Okay, hurry back."

"I will my angel."

I sat back on the bed and continued eating my snack and letting my mind wander over what had happened today. I'd killed Bill Compton, I'd eaten more greasy food than I've eaten in my entire life, I almost killed my boyfriend twice, now I was being strangely moody and eating something that I knew in my mind was pretty fucked up, but tasted absolutely delicious. Oh, I'd almost forgotten that I'd been sick today as well. Huh, if I thought that it was even remotely possible, I'd think that I might be pregnant. Now that would be something, but totally impossible.

I knew that vampires couldn't impregnate women, but that didn't stop me from imagining what a little blue-eyed, blonde, baby Viking would look like.

In my mind I got the clearest picture of a blonde haired, blue eyed little boy who looked just like Eric. He was the sweetest little angel that I had ever laid eyes on in the whole world. He was about five or six and there was suddenly a little girl there with him as well. She was a few years younger than he was and I could tell that they were siblings, but she looked more like I did except she had Eric's eyes. These were mine and Eric's babies and I wanted them more than anything, but this was just a fantasy.

I set aside my now empty bowl and curled up on my side on the bed with tears streaming down my face. I never imagined that I'd ever want a family someday, I'd never wanted a child to suffer like I suffered with my telepathy, but being with Eric was changing everything. I had finally found a man that made me feel like I could do anything including teaching our children that, if the did inherit telepathy, that it was a gift instead of a curse.

His mind was also a wonderful blank to me and he loved me for me and wanting to have his babies just seemed like a natural step for us, but I knew that it wasn't in the cards.

A few minutes later the tears were still flowing down my cheeks when Eric came out of the bathroom, his long hair still wet, but pulled back into a low ponytail, wearing a black tank top and black track pants. He looked absolutely edible, but he became full of concern when he saw my tear stained face. He was beside me in seconds. "My love, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

I wanted to tell him the truth, I wanted to tell him about seeing our children and how badly I wanted them, but I'd caused enough trouble with him today. "I'm just worried about what could be wrong with me."

He sat down beside me on the bed and pulled me into his arms. "Lover, no matter what the doctor tells us, it won't matter to me. I'll still love you and I'll still want you with me forever no matter what."

"But what if she says that there's something horribly wrong with me and nothing will stop me from attacking you everyday for forever?"

"Then life with be that much more interesting from now on."

"Eric, what about the unwanted guests that we are expecting tonight? I don't have time to be sick."

"Sookie, whatever is happening to you can't be helped and our unwanted guests don't know where we are. I'll call Pam and have her take care of Felicia, then have here lay low until we know what is going on with you."

"Eric you should just let me go. I know that you didn't ask for any of this and you shouldn't have to risk your life…" He cut me off this time by leaning down and kissing me. That was a very good way to distract me, but it quickly became not enough. I wanted more, but he pulled away from me before I was done,

"Hush now. I know that you don't want to go anywhere. My life has been boring until a fiery blonde came to my bar demanding my help. How could I not fall madly and deeply in love with her and not want her by my side always. No matter what we find out from the doctor and whatever happens with the other vampires, I always want you by my side." I could tell that he had something else to say at that moment, but I didn't let him speak anymore. Instead I pushed him down onto his back and straddled him as I leaned down and pressed my lips to his. My tummy was full and I was feeling calm for the moment, now I needed another appetite satisfied.

I was sliding my hands down his chest towards his pants when a voice behind us stopped me. "Hold it right there little girl. You'll have plenty of time to play with your Viking later, but right now it's time for me to check you over."


	29. Chapter 29

A/N OMG another chapter so soon? I'm just saying right now, don't get used to this. This story is just really talking to me lately and I'm getting chapters out really fast. I only have about a page written of the next chapter, but i know where it's going in my mind so i hopefully will get it out soon so enjoy and leave me some love:)

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><p>I reluctantly pulled away from kissing Eric and my fangs had made another appearance. I was about to turn and hiss at whom I assumed was Dr. Ludwig, but Eric stopped me. "It's all right Lover." He moved me back over onto the bed and stood up to greet our guest. "So good to see you again Dr. Ludwig. How have you been?"<p>

"Can it vampire. I'm not here to talk pleasantries with you, I'm here to check out the fairy princess."

I sat up against the pillows and got my first glimpse of the doctor. I had to try really hard not to laugh as I looked at her. She looked like a hobbit straight out of the Lord of the Rings. I really had to hold myself back when she pulled a step stool out of her bag and hopped onto the bed with me. Oh God, what had my life become?

She came over to me and without even a how do you do, she lifted up my shirt, exposing my naked lower half and started poking and prodding me. "Hey there lady, I'm a little on the naked side here."

"Oh hush girl. You're a supe and mated to the Viking here. Get used to being naked." I was about to argue that I would never be comfortable being naked in front of anyone but Eric, but her hands started glowing over me. I didn't know what in the hell she was doing to me, but I wasn't about to do anything to distract her or piss her off.

After a few minutes she stopped glowing and went probing through her bag. "You're using a lot of magic lately, haven't you little girl?"

"Yeah, I kind of have been. Why, is that a bad thing?"

"Not usually, but right now you need to take it easy on using your magic, hell you should be taking it easy all around right now for awhile."

"Why? What's wrong with me?" I could feel the panic building inside of me and Eric was quick to take my hand and sent a wave of calm to me.

"Now take it easy girlie, there is nothing wrong with you, you're just pregnant."

My jaw dropped. How was this possible? Vampires couldn't get women pregnant. I didn't want to get my hopes up that this could really be happening, but my mind filled with images, a vision really. It was of Eric and myself. We were sitting on a beach somewhere and I had a very noticeable bump that Eric was cooing at. I was smiling and felt happier than I'd ever felt before. "How are you feeling today my wife?"

"Never better my husband. Your son is trying to kick his way out of me today though." Husband? Son? I came back to myself with a huge smile on my face. Eric was going to be my husband soon and I was going to give him a son.

I wanted to celebrate and shout my joy from the rooftops, but then I remembered what was happening around us and it became too much for me. My eyes rolled back into my head and darkness surrounded me.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sookie my angel, wake up. We need to talk again."

I slowly opened my eyes and instead of seeing my apparent future husband, I had a smiling Nessa beside me, "Hey Nessa."

"Hello my darling." She gently reached down and stroked my cheek. "You are positively glowing."

"I'm having a baby, a son if my vision was right."

"Oh your vision was very correct." She placed her hand on my belly and smiled even wider. "Oh yes, he is going to be big and strong and beautiful and his little sister who is going to come along a few years from now will be brave and strong just like her mother." I couldn't stop the tears from streaming down my face. "Oh my sweet girl, don't cry. Isn't this what you want?"

"Yes more than anything. These are happy tears. I never knew that I could be this happy."

"And I want you to know that when your Viking proposes to you, and it will be very soon, he is not doing it because of the baby. He was going to ask you earlier today."

"Was that before or after I tried to kill him twice?"

Nessa's laughter filled the room. "Oh my sweet Sookie, you didn't try to kill him, you didn't even come close to doing anything of the sort. All you did was make him realize that he needs to keep on his toes around you."

"But I almost drained him dry."

"That my dear was a necessity."

"WHAT?

"You're body is changing Sookie. First it was adapting to you getting your Fae powers and becoming more Fae, now you're becoming a hybrid of sorts."

"I thought that I already was a hybrid being part fairy and part human."

"That's true, but now you're becoming a different kind of hybrid. Your powers are now working and doing what needs to be done to make you a vampire as well to be more connected with your mate and to help grow your children."

"So that's why I was drinking Eric's blood like that?"

"Yes. You needed his blood to help with the transformation."

"Is it going to hurt?"

"No, most of it has already happened. I know that you have your fangs now, soon your senses will be stronger in the days and weeks to come. You yourself will also become stronger and faster and your powers will continue to grow, but while you are pregnant you need to limit how much power you use because if you use to much you'll start taking energy from the baby."

I was quick to place my hands over my still flat stomach. "I would never do anything to hurt my baby."

"I know that you wouldn't. Just take care of yourself and you'll both be just fine."

My mind started racing at her words, "But what will happen when others find out what I can do? Every vampire will want me to breed with them. I don't want that, I only want Eric."

She gently took my face in her hands. "Calm down my angel. What you and the Viking have achieved can not be achieved with any other vampire."

Relief flooded through me. "Thank God, but what's to stop them from taking me and trying anyway?"

"You leave that to me little one. You are progressing faster than even I expected, so we will be meeting in person very soon."

"Does this mean that we won't meet like this anymore?" I couldn't keep the disappointment out of my voice.

"Of course not Sookie. You are going to need all of the support and guidance you can get in the coming weeks and months. You're going to be growing a giving birth to the first child of it's kind, you'll need all the help you can get. Now, you need to wake up before your Viking wears a hole in the floor with all of his pacing.." She gently kissed me on the cheek and I was again pulled into darkness.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I slowly opened my eyes and I could see Eric pacing the room and it brought a smile to my face. "Hey you."

He quickly turned at the sound of my voice and was by my side instantly. "My love, are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I was just a little overwhelmed, but I talked to Nessa and she made me feel better."

"I will protect you and our son with my life."

"I know you will, I've seen him and our future daughter and they are both perfect."

"You've seen them?"

"Yes. I had a vision or premonition or whatever and I saw us happy with our children. They are going to be so beautiful and perfect."

"I wish I could see them."

A thought popped into my head at his words. "Maybe you can." I sat up and took his hands in mine. I focused on the vision of our children and pushed it into Eric's mind. I could feel when he was seeing it and his feelings were a bit overwhelming. I'd never felt Eric so happy and overjoyed as he was at that moment.

When the vision ended he pulled me into his arms and held me very tightly. "Thank you." I could feel his tears falling on my neck and I couldn't stop my own tears from flowing as well.

"What for?"

He pulled back and looked at me with bloody tears running down his face. That sight made me cry even harder. I hated seeing his tears. "A thousand years ago I had a wife and children. My wife Aude had been my brother's wife. When he died it was my duty to marry her.

"She gave me six children, but only three of them lived and I lost her with the last babe. I never thought that I would ever have the chance to have a child of my own again.

"I wasn't there for my children like I should have been. Back in those days it was the woman's job to raise the children and take care of the household while the men were out raiding and gathering what goods were needed to get through the winter months. I don't want to make those same mistakes again. I promise you Sookie that I will be there, I want to be there for you and our children every step of the way."

"I know you will Baby. You are going to be the best daddy every."

Eric reached over and grabbed some tissues for us and we wiped away our tears before he spoke again. "What if I told you that I wanted to be more than just a daddy?"

"What do you mean?" I had a pretty good idea of what he was talking about, but I didn't want to get my hopes up.

I watched him smile down at me as he stood up from the bed, then knelt down next to it. Oh my God! "Sookie Stackhouse, I know that we haven't known each other very long, but I know with ever fiber of my being that you are the one person that I am meant to spend eternity with." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring box. Oh my God! "My love, my angel, my one and only, will you do me the extreme on of marrying me? OH MY GOD!


	30. Chapter 30

A/N all I can say is that I royally fail at updates. I have had this written for a least a month an a half I just haven't had the motivation to type it up. I am no where near done with this or any of my other stories. I have other updates ready that just need to be typed so hopefully I will get my butt in gear. Read, enjoy and leave me some love:)

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><p>My entire body was vibrating as he opened the ring box. Inside was the most beautiful ring that I had ever seen in my life. Somehow I knew that it was a pink diamond and it wasn't too big or too small, it was just right. "Oh God, Eric, this is the most beautiful ring, but when did you have time to get this?"<p>

"I have had this ring for over sixty years. I was in New York shopping for a gift for Pam and I came across this ring. I don't know what it was about it at the time, but it just called out to me. I knew that I needed to buy it and keep it here in the safe. I just knew that whomever I was going to give this ring to I was going to give it to them here. I want that, no I know that person is you. So will you marry me my beautiful faery?"

"Oh God yes! A million times yes!" I didn't even care about the ring as I threw myself into his arms and kissed him with all the love and passion that I had in me.

When I pulled away to breathe, I knew that there was only one thing that I wanted at this moment. "Sweetie, is Dr. Ludwig still here?"

"No, she left about 45 minutes ago. She did leave you some..." I put my hand over his mouth to stop him.

"Honey, whatever she left for me will keep for a bit. I seem to recall we were in the middle of something very, very important before we were interrupted before."

That sexy smile of his spread across his face. "We most certainly were Lover." I was quick to pull him down onto the bed and straddle his waist. He was shocked and surprised that I was able to move him, but there was also a hint of pride there as well. "Nothing is going to stop us this time."

"Damn straight." I tested out my new strength and I was able to easily rip his clothes off like they were made of tissue paper. "O-o-o-o-o-o-o, that is going to come in very handy."

Eric was even quicker to turn the tables on me. He had my shirt in pieces, me below him and he was buried deep inside of me in less than a second. Damn did that feel good. "Lover, if you're becoming at least partially vampire, I won't have to take it easy on you anymore."

I moved him so that he was sitting up and I was straddling his lap with him still inside of me and a surprised look on my face. "You've been taking it easy on me?" I slowly started moving up and down on him.

"Oh yes Lover." He slid his hands up and down my back and sides sending delicious shivers running through me. "When you fully become less breakable, I'll show you exactly what I can and will do to you." He thrust up as I thrust down. He was so deep inside of me and it felt so good that I could feel my juices running down my thighs.

"Oh shit, baby, do it now. I want it hard and fast, please baby." I ran my hands over every inch of him that I could reach to urge him on.

"No Lover, I don't want to hurt the baby. But soon my love, I'll show you all of my many skills." He leaned in and kissed me with his thousand years of experience and thrust up into me a bit faster. All I could focus on now was how good it felt. He knew just the right way to touch me.

He slid one arm around me and pulled me even closer as he slid his other hand between us and reached down to rub my clit. All of my pleasure seemed to be focused right there and it was becoming almost too much for me to handle. "Oh Eric, I'm so close. Please fuck me harder, I need to come so badly baby."

"As you wish my love." He gently brought my head to the crook of his neck while he nuzzled into mine and nicked me with his fangs. Jesus, did that feel incredible and also made me realize what I needed so that I could come.

My new fangs slid out of there own free will and were quickly slipping in Eric's neck. I was worried for a moment that I would lose control again and almost drain him like before, but when I felt his fangs pierce my neck, blood was the last thing on my mind.

My back arched and my entire body was tingling and vibrating with pleasure. He thrust faster and harder and soon we both met our spectacular ending together.

I pulled my fangs out of his neck and collapsed in a sweaty heap in his arms. I was happy, sated and sleepy now. "Sweetie, that was incredible, but you have worn me right out."

"Ditto Lover." He slowly pulled out of me and lay us down on the bed. "Let's have a little nap together."

"Okay, but after can we go and visit Gran? I want to tell her about the baby and our engagement."

"Of course my angel. Let's rest, then we'll go and visit her." It didn't take long for either of us to fall asleep.

Now I would like to tell you I had a peaceful rest lying in my Viking's arms, but that was not the case. My dreams were not sweet and comforting, they were horrible nightmares that I couldn't escape from. I was panicked and afraid, but when I was pulled awake I couldn't remember anything.

I looked over and saw that Eric was still asleep, so I cuddled up closer to him. It made me feel better, but for some reason I was even more anxious than before to see Gran.

I was only able to stay in bed for another ten minutes before I got up and went to shower and dress. I knew that if I waited until Eric woke up we would get more dirty than clean if we showered together and the longer I waited the greater the urge inside of me grew to see my Gran and I could tell that this wasn't going to be good.

When I got in the shower and had the warm water raining down on me, I let myself relax for a minute and I rested my hands on my belly and just focused on my son, our son. I couldn't hear any thoughts coming from him yet, but I could feel what he was feeling. I didn't know if that was really possible, but I guess with magic anything is possible.

I could feel that he was content and happy inside of me and that made me smile. "Hey little man. I want you to know that even though you are a big surprise and right now aren't any bigger than a pea, I love you very much and I can't wait for you to get here. Gran is just going to love you. She's as sweet as can be and she is going to dote over you so much." I finished washing, then I got out to dry off and dress.

"Then there's your Uncle Jason. He can be a little, um I guess slow at times, but he's going to be crazy about you too." I kept talking to the baby as I went into the closet to get dressed. I didn't think that Gran would approve of the leather outfit I'd worn, but I had a feeling that there was going to be trouble tonight and that seemed like the appropriate outfit.

After picking out what I was going to wear I thought that we were also going to need weapons as well and lucky for me I was marrying a Viking. In the back of the closet I found a nice stash of weapons that would work well for tonight. The feeling that something was wrong with Gran just kept growing inside of me. I had to tamp it down to keep from going crazy.

I quickly slid on a pair of leather pants, a white cotton bra and a white tank top. I finished the outfit with a pair of steel-toed boots and as many weapons as I could attached to myself. I put small dagger on each ankle, larger daggers around each thigh, and I added a belt around my waist that had several daggers attached all around it.

As my fingers traced over every weapon so I would become accustomed to them, I realized that they were all made of silver. I wondered why Eric would keep so much silver near by, but I also knew that silver wouldn't hurt me or Eric anymore.

"Lover, are we going to war?"

I turned and saw Eric standing in the closet doorway looking yummy in all of his naked glory and sexy bed hair. Oh God, the things that man could do to me just by standing there. I wanted him again right now, but I had to fight those urges, for now anyway. Something was happening at Gran's and we needed to get to her.

After I rolled my tongue back into my mouth I was able to speak. "Sweetie, would you please get dressed before I jump you right here and now." That sexy smile spread across his face and I could feel the lust flowing through our bond, but I was quick to tamp that down. "Honey, as much as I would love to jump back into bed with you, I have a bad feeling in my gut."

His lust was quick to disappear at my words. He came up to me and took my hands in his. "What kind of a bad feeling Sookie?"

"It's Gran. I don't know exactly what, but I feel like something is happening there or is going to happen to her and I really need to get to her."

"Alright Sweetheart. I'll shower and dress as quick as I can, then I can fly us there. It will be faster than driving."

"Actually, I think that my method will be even faster."

"You want to pop us there? Can you do that?"

"You don't have faith that I can do it?"

"Of course I do, I just don't want you to exert yourself." He placed his hand on my still flat tummy. "There's more than just you to think about now."

I placed my hand on top of his. "I know that. I can't stop thinking about him and once I know that Gran is safe I will rest and relax, but until then I need to do this."

"Alright Love, I'll be as quick as possible." He leaned down and kissed me before disappearing into the bathroom.


	31. Chapter 31

A/N I'm going to keep this short by saying enjoy and leave me some love after:)

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><p>Less than ten minutes later Eric was dressed and strapping his sword to his back along with a belt that matched my own. I prayed that we wouldn't need our weapons, but I had a feeling that we would.<p>

When we were ready to go I sent a little power over us to hide our weapons from others eyes, then I wrapped my arms around Eric's waist as tight as possible and put all of my focus on the farmhouse. I focused harder than ever before and in seconds we were in the backyard.

I quickly let go of Eric who was still trying to get his bearings back and focused on the surrounding area as far as I could with my telepathy. I could sense at least a dozen minds in the surrounding woods, but I could tell they were focused on the front of house where the driveway was and not the back. We definitely had the advantage at least for a moment. Their minds seemed clearer to me than before and I could tell that the majority of them were from Nevada and Mississippi. They were here for me already and they were going to use my Gran to get to me, but there was no way that I was going to let that happen.

"Eric." I turned back to him and I could see that he was a little green around the gills. I wanted to make him feel better, but I caught on that the Weres had heard me, so I had to play it cool. "It's okay baby. I know that meeting my Gran for the first time is a bit overwhelming, but you'll be fine. She is going to love you." I step closer to Eric and spoke in barely above a whisper hoping I wasn't heard. "There are at least a dozen minds in the woods around the house. Most of them are from Nevada and Mississippi, but there are some from around here and a couple from other states. I can read them clearer than before. They are here just to observe unless given the order otherwise."

"Lover, we need to lose our weapons, they might come after us if they see them on us."

"I already took care of it. We can see them, but no one else can. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Lover you amaze me."

I smiled up at him, and then turned my focus on the house. I opened my mind and found Gran's thoughts, but I also found four voids in the house as well. "Eric, there are four vampires inside with Gran." I couldn't sense any other voids nearby, so I didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing. "There aren't any outside the house anywhere, at least none in my range."

Eric lifted his nose to the air and inhaled deeply. I could feel his irritation, but also his slight relief through our bond. He took my hand and placed a kiss on it. "Lover, are you ready to meet our impatient queen and her children?"

I took a deep breath to calm myself down a bit. I knew that it could have been a number of other vampires inside, so this was somewhat of a relief. I knew there was no point in delaying, so I gripped his hand tighter and led him to the back door. "As ready as I can be, let's go inside."

The four voids and Gran were coming from the living room, so going in the back door gave us a few extra seconds and hopefully any advantage that we were going to have. Mentally I kept telling myself that everything was going to be fine. Eric would never let anything happen to me, to us. That thought gave me pause for a second. It wasn't just me that she was after anymore whether she realized it or not. Even though my baby, my son was no bigger than a grain of rice, he was still my baby and if she thinks she can get her hands on him too, she's got another thing coming. All of my fear in that moment turned to anger. I was pissed and I let that fuel me in whatever we were about to have to do.

I stepped into the living room with Eric by my side just as Gran looked up. She saw me and she had a huge smile on her face. "Oh Sookie, my sweet, sweet girl." She stood up, came over and pulled me into one of her special Gran hugs. I didn't realized how much I'd missed them until just now. "I have missed you so much."

"I missed you too Gran."

"I want to hear about all that you've been up to, but first come and see who's come home at last."

I was puzzled for about a second before I noticed who Gran had been sitting next to. "Hey Sookie."

I knew that my jaw had hit the floor, but I managed to pull myself together fairly quickly. "Hadley, is it really you."

"It's really me cousin."

I took a step towards her to get a hug when I heard her fangs click down followed by four more sets clicking down. My cousin was a vampire now and she was with the Queen of Louisiana. This was in no way good.

I looked at whom I assumed was the queen and she definitely wasn't what I was expecting. She looked a lot younger than I imagined, but I could feel the power coming from her. She wasn't nearly as old as Eric was, but she was still a force to be reckoned with. Too bad now, so was I.

As Hadley calmed down and retracted her fangs, Sophie-Anne, Eric and the two others whose names I didn't know also retracted their fangs, but there was still a tension in the room and a shit load of tension was coming at me from Eric through our bond. I sent him as much calm and reassurance and love that I could and that seemed to help a bit, but in this situation he was just going to be tense no matter what.

When Hadley was settled down, Sophie-Anne focused on me with a sickeningly sweet smile on her smug face. "Miss Stackhouse, it is an absolute pleasure to finally meet you at last. My Hadley has told me so much about you."

"I wish I could say the same, Your Majesty, but that is just not true. I would be much happier right now if you were still in New Orleans."

She looked me in the eye and I could feel her trying to push her will at me. "I'm quite sure that I'll be able to change your mind."

"You can stop trying to glamour me, it doesn't work."

"Alright, I guess we'll just have to do this the hard way then. Sigebert, Wybert, take her."

Before they could move, my big, strong, Viking was in front of me growling at the three of them. "NO! Sookie is MINE!"

She looked at the two of us closely and inhaled deeply. She tried to hide that shock that she felt, but she failed miserably. "You two have bonded already." She looked up at Eric. "You work quickly Sheriff. Now this makes things even more fabulous. Eric Northman, as Queen of Louisiana I order you and your bonded to come to New Orleans immediately. She shall heel nicely with you as her master."

I had to try really hard to suppress the growl that tried to escape my lips. I loved Eric with everything in me, but we were equals. Eric was quick to squeeze my hand and send me reassurance and love before he spoke. "Your Majesty, with all due respect, fuck the fuck off Bitch. My bonded and soon to be wife by the knife as well as by human laws is not my submissive, she is my equal and does not 'heel' to me. And there is no way in hell that either one of us is going down to New Orleans with you. I will end you and your lap dogs if I have to, but I have no desire to be king, even if I would have the most beautiful queen at my side." He lifted my hand to his lips and I couldn't keep the smile off of my face.

"My god, you actually care for a human Eric. That is so beneath you."

"Loving someone is never beneath anyone. It makes you a better and stronger person." I could see that he was getting ready to reach for his sword, but I couldn't, I wouldn't let him do something that he didn't want to do. I just had to think of something, good thing I'm quick when it comes to things like that.

I put myself between Eric and the queen. "Your Majesty there has to be some kind of compromise that we can come to. I know that I want to stay here with Eric and my family and I know that you don't want to meet the true death, so what could we do that would make everyone happy?"

She snarled at my words. "I should end your precious Viking right now for treason and drag you kicking and screaming to New Orleans whether you like it or not."

The thought of anyone, least of all this little bitch, putting even a finger on my Viking made my blood boil. I could feel the power building inside of me and there was nothing that I could do to stop it and in all honesty, I didn't want to stop it. This bitch needed to know just who the fuck she was dealing with.

I looked into her eyes as my whole body began to glow and vibrate with power. I could see the fear in her eyes and I got a sick sense of pleasure from it. "Listen you little bitch, you may have been appointed queen of this state, but I am royal by blood and by birth. If you or any other regents even think about laying a hand on me or mine, you will regret it. Have I made myself perfectly clear?"

"Yes."

"Yes what?"

"Yes your highness." Yet again another thrill shot through me at her words.

"Good. Now I want you out of this house and I want you to spread the word to all the other regents that Eric Northman and anyone with Stackhouse blood running through their veins is under the protection of the Brigant family. This is the one and only warning that I am giving. Next time something like this happens, head with roll, literally." Without another word she grabbed Hadley and her lap dogs and zipped out the door at vampire speed.

I knew that the Weres had heard what I said and I followed their minds as they started disbanding, hopefully taking my warning with them.

I followed all of the minds until they were out of my range before I pulled my power back in using the last of my strength and blacked out.


	32. Chapter 32

A/N I am so sorry for the long wait for this chapter, real life has been difficult then with the terrible loss of one of our own writers Ericizmine, it's just been difficult to be inspired, but i think the muse is finally coming back. Hopefully it won't be so long for the next update, knock on wood. So read on, Happy New Year and leave me some love.

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><p>I wasn't sure how long I was out for, but when I started to open my eyes I could feel fear and panic coming from Eric. I was afraid that something terrible had happened to him for a second, but I was feeling too weak to help. "Eric." It was barely more than a whisper past my lips, but I knew that he heard me.<p>

"Lover, I'm right here." He clutched my hand tightly in his own. "Are you all right? You scared your Gran and I half to death."

"I'm sorry. I over did it a bit, didn't I?"

"Yes you did my love." I watched his fangs extend, and then he bit into his wrist and held it out to me. "This will make you and our son all better." I didn't hesitate to latch on and drink, but I only had time for a couple of mouthfuls before I heard Gran coming back into the room. She'd seen enough craziness for one day.

I was quick to pull away from Eric's wrist and licked the blood from my lips just as Gran walked into the room carrying a tall glass of sweet tea and a plate piled high with fried chicken. "Here my sweet girl. I want you to drink this and I want you to eat every bite of this chicken. You need to keep up your strength."

"More than you realize Gran."

"What do you mean darling?"

I pulled Eric down so that he sitting next to me and I held tight to his hand. "I'm pregnant Gran."

She sat down on my other side and took my other hand in hers. "Oh my sweet Sookie, that is absolutely wonderful, but I didn't think that vampires procreated that way."

"Normally they can't Gran, but the fairy part of me was able to make it possible for Eric and I to have a baby."

"Oh honey, you are making me a great-grandma. This little one is going to be spoiled rotten."

"And he is going to love you to pieces."

"He?"

"Yeah Gran, it's a boy."

"How do you know that already? Isn't it way too soon to know that yet?

"Well Gran, with all of these new powers that I'm getting, I've actually seen him. He's going to be so beautiful Gran. I can't wait to meet him and his little sister that I've seen too."

"Two great-grandbabies? "Oh Sookie, I'm so happy for both of you."

"And Eric and I are getting married."

"Oh sweetheart, everything is just falling into place for you."

"It really is Gran. I've never been so happy before, but there is trouble brewing around us too as you can tell from your earlier guests."

"What kind of trouble? What do they want with you?"

"It's better for you not to know Gran. I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"Oh hush girl. I've had a good life. If somebody is coming after my grand-baby, I'm not going to just sit back on the sidelines."

I should have known that Gran wouldn't just let this go, so I told her as much as I thought she could handle about what was going on.

When I was done she pulled me into her arms and just held me. "My poor little angel, you just can't get away from people wanting to take you away."

"That's not going to happen Mrs. Stackhouse. I love your granddaughter too much to let anything ever happen to her."

"I know that you do and please call me Adele. We're practically family. Now Sookie, you eat up this whole plate of chicken and I'll get you some milk to have with the sweet tea. It's good for the baby." She kissed my cheek before she disappeared back into the kitchen.

I tore into the chicken like I hadn't eaten in a week and it was the best tasting chicken ever. I was more than half way through the plate when I looked over to Eric. He was standing by the window looking out into the yard. The bond was churning with negative emotions and I could see even from where I was sitting the he was incredibly tense. "Eric, sweetie, what's wrong?"

"This isn't the end of this."

"I know, but we'll be more prepared next time. They'll find out that they shouldn't mess with us."

"I can't let you take that chance."

"What are you talking about?"

He kept his back to me as he spoke again. "Sookie, there is more than just you to worry about now. You need to focus on taking care of yourself and growing our son, not fighting battles. Look at what happened just now and there wasn't even any fighting."

"Eric, what are you saying?"

"I think that you should go someplace safe for a while."

"The safest place for me is with you."

He finally turned towards me and I could see the pain on his face. It was nothing compared to what I was feeling inside right now, but I held all my feelings inside. "Sookie, you barely used your powers earlier and it was enough for you to pass out. I will not allow anything to happen to either one of you."

"So you're just letting me go like you said you wouldn't do."

He came over and knelt in front of me and took my hands in his, but I wouldn't look at him. "Sookie, my angel, this is the hardest thing I've ever had to do, but if anything ever happened to you and our son I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

"You know that I feel the same way about you."

"I do, but you are very vulnerable right now. I have friends and favors that I can cash in on so I can fix this. I will make things safe for you and our son, then I will come for you and we can start our life together. We can start making plans for our wedding and preparations for our son's arrival."

I knew deep down that he was right, but that didn't mean that I had to like it. "Where am I going? Am I just going to be isolated in the middle of nowhere?"

"Kind of. It's a beach house in Barbados. No one knows that I own it. You'll be able to rest and relax in the sun."

"All by myself? That will be just wonderful for my psyche."

"No you wouldn't be alone. Adele and your brother could go with you and I could send Pam along with you as well if you wanted."

"Whatever."

"Lover, please don't be like this."

"Let's just do this and get it over with."

"You stay here and I'll go and pack your things. I'll also call Pam and have her arrange your flight for tonight. You get Adele and Jason on board and I'll be back as soon as I can." He kissed my forehead before he popped away.


	33. Chapter 33

I'm alive. I am so sorry for the long wait for this chapter but after being kicked out of my house with 48 hours notice, living in hotels for two months and being miles away from my writing, i'm finally getting back on track in my new apartment. I'm trying to get caught up on all of my stories, so hopefully there will be more updates soon. So i'm going to shut up now, let you get reading and leave me some love:)

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><p>Apparently I've given Eric the ability to pop like I can. That's just great, now he can get away from me even faster. I know that I said that I would leave him when I hurt him earlier today, but I never really believed that he would let me go. Now he was the one sending me thousands of miles away for God only knows how long and just when we find out about our baby. This was becoming more than I could handle.<p>

I felt a part of me shut down as I sat there waiting. I knew that if I didn't let myself do this that I was going to lose what little sanity that I had left right now. Everything was happening just too fast and I couldn't handle all of these changes in such a short period of time. On top of all of the physical changes I was going through, my future husband was shipping me away and that was just the last straw. I was beyond pissed and so many other emotions that I couldn't even name right now, but I would keep it together for my baby's sake.

I pushed aside the half eaten plate of chicken and sat up on the sofa just staring off into space. I wanted to be alone to try and get control of my feelings, to let myself half a break down in private, but it would be hours before that could happen. I would just keep myself emotionally shut down until then.

Gran came back into the room a few minutes later with a tall glass of milk and a plate full of crackers and peanut butter. "Here now Darlin', I want you to drink all this milk and eat all of these crackers. You need some good protein and that calcium is good for the baby."

I didn't want to eat, I wanted to hide and pout in a shell somewhere for a while, but this was for the baby, so I sucked it up and ate and drank every bite. The crackers tasted like sawdust to me and the milk tasted like sludge. I didn't want to do any of this right now.

"Where's Eric?"

"He went to make arrangements for tonight. Gran, we're leaving tonight, you, me and Jason. We are going someplace safe and far away for a while."

"What about Eric?"

"He's going to stay here." I didn't even recognize my own voice as I spoke. I could see that Gran wanted to say something about how I was acting, but she stopped herself. I couldn't take whatever she had to say right now anyway.

"Okay Dear. I'll go call your brother and get him on board, and then I'll go pack my things."

"Okay Gran."

Two hours later me, Gran, Jason, Pam and Eric were all at a private airfield outside of Shreveport. Eric had hired a private plane to take us to our destination, but I didn't have it in me to care. I felt like a part of me was being ripped away and it was tearing me up inside.

Pam was here to make sure that we got off all right and she was going to be joining us in a few days after plans had been made. As she was helping Gran and Jason onto the plan, Eric pulled me off to the side, concern marring his beautiful face. I wanted to reach out and comfort him, but I just didn't have it in me. "Lover, please say something. You haven't spoken a word since I got back."

"What do you want me to say Eric?"

He stepped closer to try to pull me into his arms, but I stepped back before he could touch me. I couldn't handle him touching me right now. "Dammit Sookie! I don't care what you say as long as you talk to me. Yell, scream, curse me out, I don't give a fuck, just say something!"

"I can't Eric. Everything that has happened lately has been too fast and now you sending me away is just the last straw. It is taking everything in me to keep it together. I just need to get on the plane right now."

"Sookie, please."

"I'm sorry. Goodbye Eric." I popped into the plane and sat as far away from everyone else as I could. I needed to stay quiet and keep it together for just a little while longer.

We took off and the flight lasted just shy of three hours. I'd let several silent tears fall, but kept them from Gran and Jason. I was glad that they were both focused on the view and the in-flight movie because the farther we got from Shreveport; the harder it was to keep my emotions in check. I needed to desperately let my emotions out, but I needed to do it in private.

When we landed in another private airfield there was a limo and driver waiting for us. I was quick to get off the plane and into the back of the limo. It didn't take them long to get the luggage off the plane or for Gran and Jason to join me.

I curled up as small as I could manage and just prayed the drive to wherever we were going didn't take long. I felt like I was crumbling apart inside and I was holding on by a thread. I just needed to get this pain out before I did something stupid.

Luckily for me when everyone and everything was loaded into the limo, the drive took less than ten minutes. We pulled up in front of a beautiful three story house that was right on the beach, but I just couldn't find it in me to be excited about being here without Eric. I felt lost without him; I felt like he had abandoned me when I needed him the most and I had no idea how to control what I was feeling.

A part of me, the part that loved the outside so much wanted to go explore the beach and try to pull myself together by getting some fresh air to make me feel better, but the bigger, emptier part of me just wouldn't let me. I just wanted to be alone.

We were led inside and introduced to Katie, the housekeeper. She seemed very nice and sweet, but I couldn't handle her sweetness with the way that I was feeling. "Katie, I'd like to go straight to my room please."

"Of course Miss. Mr. Northman wanted us to make sure that you had everything you needed." She started to lead me upstairs, but that wasn't where I wanted to be right now.

"Katie, I'd like you to take me to one of the light tight rooms."

"But Mr. Northman said…"

"I don't care what Mr. Northman said, I want a light tight room and one that he hasn't occupied." I knew that Gran would have my hide for the way that I was speaking to Katie, but I couldn't help it. I felt lost and out of control and I needed to be alone.

Katie turned and led me downstairs. She passed what I knew was Eric's room and led me to another room at the opposite end of the hall. I quickly pushed my way into the room and closed the door enough to keep her from entering like I knew she was planning. "Thank you Katie."

"But Miss…

"Thank you Katie." I slammed the door harder than I wanted and I finally was able to let myself go. I turned my back to the door, slid down to the floor and sobbed harder than I ever had before.


	34. Chapter 34

So a lot of you were not happy with Sookie's behavior in the last chapter and I love it. She just needed to let some things out and I promise that she won't be acting like that again. So read, leave me some love and I'll go back to writing:)

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><p>For three days I stayed locked alone in that room. I didn't see or talk to anyone. I cried, I screamed, I tore the room apart, and then put it back together with my new powers. I conjured what I wanted to eat or drink which wasn't much and I refused to sleep. I would rest, but I wouldn't let myself fall asleep. I knew that if I did Nessa would come to me and not be happy with me and I didn't want that. But by the end of the third day I couldn't keep myself away any longer and I found out just how unhappy she was with me.<p>

At first I was met with blessed blackness as I slipped to sleep, but it wasn't long before my eyes opened and there was Nessa standing at the end of the bed with her hands on her hips, a scowl on her face and her black eyes seemed even darker if that was possible. For the first time I was actually scared of Nessa. "You need to snap the fuck out of this Sookie." That was the first time I think I heard her curse. Now I was really scared.

"I tried, but…"

"No you didn't. You are letting your emotions control you instead of you controlling your emotions." She eased up somewhat as she came over and sat down next to me on the bed. "I understand that physically and emotionally you have gone through some enormous changes in a very short period of time and that was even before you found out that you were pregnant, but you can't do what you've been doing this past few days anymore.

"I know that you are aching for your mate and this distance with a bond so new is trying, but you are powerful enough to control these emotions."

"I feel like I'm being ripped apart inside being so far away from him." I could feel the tears rolling down my cheeks and I couldn't stop them.

"I know my little angel, but you need to focus on the good things in your life to help you control those feelings. You have a wedding to plan and a baby to prepare for." My hands instantly covered my still flat tummy. "If you keep doing what you are doing you are going to hurt him."

That sent a new pain through my chest. "No, I would never do anything to hurt my baby." Something snapped inside of me just thinking about that.

"I know that you wouldn't, but right now is a crucial time in his development. You need to be eating way more than you have been, you need to be sleeping whether you want to see my shining face or not and you need to be outside in the fresh air. You may becoming a vampire hybrid, but the Fae inside of you still thrives on the sunlight." She paused and I knew she was getting ready to pull out the big guns. "What would Eric say to you if he could see you right now?"

"He would be very disappointed at how I've been acting. He probably hates me right now for the way I acted. I didn't even kiss him goodbye at the airport. How could I possibly be so selfish and so stubborn?"

"You are going through a lot, but you are going to straighten yourself out now. Right?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"Good girl. Now I want you to focus all of those warring emotions inside of you and I want you to build a box around them like you build up your shields to keep the voices out."

Okay, I can so that, I have to for Eric and our son. I can't be selfish and stubborn and lock myself in a room and not take care of myself. I need to be strong and know that Eric is doing this to protect us and that he'll come to me just as soon as he can.

It was easier than I thought to lock up those chaotic feelings tight. I could feel myself instantly relax. I was still missing Eric, but that I could deal with. "Oh thank you Nessa, thank you so much. I feel much better already."

"Good girl. Now if you start feeling like this again, you call to me and I'll help you right away. That's why I'm here Sookie, to help you when you need it. You are going to need a lot of help in the coming months and years as you fully come into your powers and as your special children come into the world. I won't let you fail Sookie and neither will your Viking. He loves you more than even I could have predicted."

"And I love him so very much. I've never loved anyone as much as I love him."

"That's very good. You both need to learn to work together when it comes to everything that happens around you. Sometimes he might have to leave you to protect you or to protect the children and it hurts him just as much as it hurts you, but he does it because it needs to be done. Do you understand?" I nodded. "Excellent, now you are going to wake up soon because it is almost midday and you've made up a bit of the sleep you have deprived yourself of. Your Gran is waiting in your room for you to wake up. You've worried her half to death and you are going to take the scolding that she is going to give you like a good girl. Right?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"After you are going to eat a big brunch, and then you are going to go outside and get some sun, but before that you need to sit down and write a letter."

"A letter? To who?"

"Your mate. I've left a box in your room and left another with your Viking. His will magically appear wherever he is whenever you send him a letter. It will help both of you stay connected and it will help you both feel more centered."

"Oh Nessa, you have made me feel so much better. I love you so much."

"I love you too my angel. Now it's time for you to face your Gran."

"Bye Nessa." I was pulled from my dream and sat up in bed coming face to face with a very unhappy Gran. Oh, this was not going to be pretty.


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